Secobarbital

What is the most important information I should know about secobarbital?

Secobarbital may cause a severe allergic reaction. Stop taking secobarbital and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Take secobarbital only when you are getting ready for several hours of sleep. You may fall asleep very quickly after taking the medicine.

Some people using this medicine have engaged in activity such as driving, eating, or making phone calls and later having no memory of the activity. If this happens to you, stop taking secobarbital and talk with your doctor about another treatment for your sleep disorder.

Do not use secobarbital without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could cause harm to the unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

Secobarbital can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking secobarbital.

Secobarbital may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Secobarbital should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it.

What is secobarbital?

Secobarbital is in a group of drugs called barbiturates (bar-BIT-chur-ates). Secobarbital slows the activity of your brain and nervous system.

Secobarbital is used to short-term to treat insomnia, or as a sedative before surgery.

Secobarbital may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

Who should not take secobarbital?

Some people using this medicine have engaged in activity such as driving, eating, or making phone calls and later having no memory of the activity. If this happens to you, stop taking secobarbital and talk with your doctor about another treatment for your sleep disorder.

Do not take this medication if you are allergic to secobarbital, or if you have porphyria.

Before taking secobarbital, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), or other breathing disorder;
• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• an adrenal gland disorder, such as pheochromocytoma;
• overactive thyroid;
• a history of depression, mental illness, or suicide attempt; or
• a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use secobarbital, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

Secobarbital may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Secobarbital should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it.

FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use secobarbital without your doctor's consent if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are using this medication.

Secobarbital can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking secobarbital.

Secobarbital can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take secobarbital?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Take secobarbital only when you are getting ready for several hours of sleep. You may fall asleep very quickly after taking the medicine.

Take this medicine with a full glass of water.

Measure the liquid form of secobarbital with a special dose-measuring spoon or cup, not a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

If you are taking this medicine to treat insomnia, take it only at bedtime. Do not use secobarbital for longer than 2 weeks to treat insomnia, unless your doctor has told you to.

If you are taking secobarbital to treat seizures, keep taking the medication even if you feel fine. You may have an increase in seizures if you stop taking secobarbital. Follow your doctor's instructions.

Do not change your dose of secobarbital without your doctor's advice. Tell your doctor if the medication does not seem to work as well in treating your condition.

You may have withdrawal symptoms (such as anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, or seizures) when you stop using secobarbital after using it over a long period of time. Do not stop using secobarbital suddenly without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely.

Store secobarbital at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Keep track of how many pills have been used from each new bottle of this medicine. Secobarbital is a drug of abuse and you should be aware if any person in the household is using this medicine improperly or without a prescription.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of secobarbital can be fatal.

Symptoms of a secobarbital overdose may include slow or shallow breathing, blurred vision, extreme drowsiness, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

What should I avoid while taking secobarbital?

Secobarbital can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid using other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold medicine, sleeping pills, pain medication, muscle relaxers, and medicine to treat depression or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by secobarbital.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It can increase some of the side effects of secobarbital.

What are the possible side effects of secobarbital?

Secobarbital may cause a severe allergic reaction. Stop taking secobarbital and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;
• slow heartbeat, shallow breathing;
• feeling light-headed, fainting;
• a fever or a sore throat;
• sores in your mouth;
• easy bruising or bleeding; or
• broken blood vessels under your skin.

Less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:

• drowsiness or dizziness;
• problems with memory or concentration;
• excitement, irritability, aggression, or confusion (especially in children or older adults);
• loss of balance or coordination;
• nausea, constipation;
• nightmares, nervousness, or anxiety;
• headache; or
• "hangover" effect (drowsiness the day after a dose).

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

What other drugs will affect secobarbital?

Before taking secobarbital, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol);
• doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Mondox, Oracea, Vibramycin, and others);
• birth control pills or estrogen hormone replacement, including estrogen (Premarin), estradiol (Estrace, Femtrace, and others), progesterone (Progest, Prometrium), and others;
• griseofulvin (Grisactin, Fulvicin PG, Grifulvin V);
• methadone (Dolophine, Methadose);
• metronidazole (Flagyl);
• theophylline (Theo-Dur, Theochron, Theolair, Slo-Bid, others); or
• a heart rhythm medication such as quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex, Quinora, Quinaglute);
• other seizure medications such as divalproex (Depakote), phenytoin (Dilantin), or valproic acid (Depakene);
• a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), betaxolol (Kerlone), carvedilol (Coreg), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Blocadren), and others;
• a calcium channel blocker such as felodipine (Plendil) or nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat);
• an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate); or
• steroids such as prednisone (Orasone, Deltasone), prednisolone (Prelone, Delta Cortef), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and others.

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to use secobarbital, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect secobarbital. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist has information about secobarbital written for health professionals that you may read.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2003 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 4.04. Revision date: 08/29/2007.