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Street Names:
Yellow jackets.
Description:
Yellow (100 mg.) capsule, also available as
solution for injection.
Origin and Medical Uses:
Nembutal is a member of the barbiturate
family of drugs. Barbiturates, also called "downers," were developed to
treat sleeplessness, anxiety, tension, high blood pressure, and convulsions. Some
are used as anaesthetics.
Short Term Effects:
The activity of the central nervous system
is slowed down. A small dose relieves tension. Large does produce staggering,
blurred vision, impaired thinking, slurred speech, impaired perception of time and space,
slowed reflexes and breathing, and reduced sensitivity to pain. Overdoses cause
unconsciousness, coma and death. About a quarter of deaths due to drugs (excluding
alcohol) in Canada are caused by barbiturates and barbiturate-like drugs. Accidental
overdoses occur when children swallow pills or when adults with increased tolerance are
unsure of how many to take. Use with alcohol can be very dangerous. (See synergism.)
Long Term Effects:
Anaemia, impairment of liver function,
chronic intoxication (headache, impaired vision, slurred speech) and depression.
Babies of chronic users may have difficulty in breathing and feeding, disturbed sleep
patterns, sweating, irritability and fever.
Tolerance and Dependence:
Regular use induces tolerance, making increased doses necessary to produce the desired
effect. Since less tolerance develops to harmful effects rather than to desirable
effects, margin between effective dose and lethal dose gradually narrows. Psychological dependence
can occur with regular use, as can physical
dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, delerium, convulsions, and even
death. |
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