Loading page
Loading page
Loading substance route
These combinations are considered extremely harmful and should always be avoided. Reactions to these drugs taken in combination are highly unpredictable and have a potential to cause death.
These combinations are not usually physically harmful, but may produce undesirable effects, such as physical discomfort or overstimulation. Extreme use may cause physical health issues. Synergistic effects may be unpredictable. Care should be taken when choosing to use this combination.
Pentobarbital is deemed extremely psychologically addictive, with compulsive redosing commonly reported. Short-acting barbiturates carry particularly high abuse potential, and the substance was widely abused beginning in the late 1930s.
Pentobarbital produces severe physical dependence with chronic use. Barbiturate withdrawal is medically serious and can cause a life-threatening syndrome including seizures, psychosis, and death with abrupt discontinuation.
Death occurs by respiratory arrest at high doses. Lethal doses used in physician-assisted suicide range from 9-15 grams orally, with 10 grams being typical in Oregon and 9 grams in the Netherlands. A Swiss pharmacist reported in 2022 that doses had been raised to 15 grams because lower doses sometimes preceded coma lasting up to 10 hours. Intravenous execution protocols use 5 grams. Lethal dose is significantly lower when combined with other CNS depressants.
Respiratory depression is the primary acute toxicity and can progress to respiratory arrest and death, particularly at higher doses or when combined with other CNS depressants.
Studies have linked barbiturate use with the development of cancer, though phenobarbital has been particularly implicated; evidence specific to pentobarbital is limited.
Psychosis may occur as part of the life-threatening barbiturate withdrawal syndrome in dependent individuals. During intoxication, delusions of sobriety are reported at heavy doses, representing impaired reality testing rather than true psychosis.
Pentobarbital has anticonvulsant properties and suppresses seizures during use. However, abrupt discontinuation in dependent individuals may cause potentially fatal seizures as part of the withdrawal syndrome. Drugs that lower seizure threshold should be avoided during withdrawal.
Pentobarbital was developed by chemists Ernest H. Volwiler and Donalee L. Tabern at Abbott Laboratories in 1930. That same year, physician John S. Lundy began clinical use of the compound and coined the brand name Nembutal, an amalgamation derived from the structural formula of its sodium salt—Na
UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 (Schedule III)
Controlled drug under Australian scheduling. Schedule 8 substances are available for therapeutic use but require strict prescribing and record-keeping requirements due to abuse potential.
Listed in Anlage III of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz (Narcotics Act), indicating it is a marketable narcotic with recognized medical applications. Prescriptions require a special narcotic prescription form (Betäubungsmittelrezept).
Specifically named controlled substance under Verzeichnis B of Swiss narcotics legislation. Medicinal use is permitted with appropriate medical authorization.
Controlled under the Controlled Substances Act. Classified as having high potential for abuse but with currently accepted medical use. Approved for short-term treatment of insomnia and widely used in veterinary medicine. Available by prescription in injectable formulations.
Controlled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Available for legitimate medical use with appropriate authorization. Historically marketed in combination products.
Controlled substance under federal narcotics legislation. Subject to strict regulation with limited availability for medical purposes.
Controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Unauthorized possession, supply, and production carry criminal penalties, though less severe than Class A substances.
13 sources cited