Amobarbital and Secobarbital

What are other names for this medicine? 

Type of medicine: barbiturate 

Generic  and brand names:  secobarbital and amobarbital, oral; Tuinal 100-Mg Pulvules; Tuinal 200-Mg Pulvules 

What  is this medicine used for? 

This medicine  is used to relieve tension or anxiety, to  help you sleep, or to prevent seizures.  It may be used for other conditions  as determined by your health care provider. 

What should my health care provider know  before I take this medicine? 

Before taking this medicine, tell  your health care provider if you have ever had: 

• an allergic reaction to any  medicine
• depression or thoughts of suicide 
• liver or kidney disease 
• lung disease 
• porphyria (chemical imbalance that can affect the nerves  and skin) 
• problems with substance abuse. 

Females of childbearing age:  Tell your health care provider if you are pregnant or become pregnant while taking this medicine. This medicine  is not usually  taken during pregnancy because it may harm  the baby. However, your seizures need  to be controlled. This medicine may make birth control pills less effective. If  you need birth control, talk to your health care provider about methods that are effective while you are taking this medicine. Do  not breast-feed while you are taking this medicine. 

How do I  use it? 

Take  this medicine exactly as your health care provider prescribes.  Do not take more of it or take it longer than prescribed. Taking too much may be habit-forming or you may overdose. 

For this medicine to prevent seizures, you must take it regularly. If you are taking this medicine to help you sleep, take it 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. 

If you miss  a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is almost time  for the next dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and take the next one as directed. Do not take double doses. If you are not sure of what to do if you miss  a dose, or if you miss more  than one dose, contact  your health care provider. 

What should I watch out for? 

Do not stop taking this medicine without your health care provider's approval,  especially if you have taken  it for more than 2 weeks. You may have to reduce  your dosage gradually  to prevent serious side effects. 

This medicine  will make you drowsy. Do not drive or operate machinery until you are fully alert. 

This medicine may increase the effects of alcohol and other drugs that slow down your nervous system. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines unless your health care provider approves. 

This medicine may make your skin more sensitive to the sun, which may lead to painful sunburns. While you  are taking  this medicine, avoid long exposure to the sun. Wear protective clothing, a hat, and sunscreen lotion when you need to be outdoors. Do not use a sunlamp. If you get a severe sunburn, contact your health care provider right away. 

The signs of overdose are severe drowsiness, trouble breathing, or acting like you are drunk. If you think you have taken an overdose, get emergency medical treatment right away. 

This medicine may produce excitement rather than calming in some people. If this happens, contact your health care provider. 

This medicine is a controlled substance. It is illegal to give this medicine to anyone else. 

Adults over  the age  of 65 may be  at greater risk for side effects. Talk with your health care provider about this. 

What are  the possible side effects? 

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go  away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your health care provider if you have  any side effects  that continue  or get worse. 

Life-threatening (Report these  to your health care provider right away. If you cannot reach your health care provider right away, get emergency medical care. Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling  of your lips, tongue, and throat). 

Serious (report these to your health care provider right away): Muscle or joint pain, sore throat, nosebleeds, yellow skin or eyes, sensitivity to the sun, fever, hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there), severe depression, confusion. 

Other: Dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nervousness, nightmares, stomach upset, vomiting. 

What products might interact with this medicine? 

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change  the way this  or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your health care provider if you are taking: 

• acetaminophen (Tylenol) 
• alcohol
• antianxiety medicines such as clonazepam (Klonopin), alprazolam (Xanax), clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), oxazepam (Serax), triazolam (Halcion), temazepam (Restoril), and flurazepam (Dalmane) 
• antibiotics such as rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane), chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin), doxycycline (Vibramycin, Doryx, Vibra-Tabs), and rifabutin (Mycobutin) 
• antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) 
• antiseizure medicines such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), and valproic acid (Depakote, Depakene) 
• beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), acebutolol (Sectral), pindolol (Visken), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), sotalol (Betapace), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), and carvedilol (Coreg) 
• calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine (Norvasc), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), isradipine (DynaCirc), felodipine (Plendil), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin), diltiazem (Cardizem), and nicardipine (Cardene) 
• birth control pills and hormones such as estradiol (Estrace, Estratab), conjugated estrogens (Premarin), norethindrone (Aygestin, Micronor), and norgestrel (Ovrette) 
• blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin) 
• corticosteroids such as cortisone (Cortone), betamethasone (Celestone), dexamethasone (Decadron), hydrocortisone (Cortef, Hydrocortone, A-HydroCort), prednisone (Meticorten, Deltasone), prednisolone (Delta-Cortef, Prelone), methylprednisolone (Medrol, A-Methapred), and triamcinolone (Aristocort, Kenacort) 
• griseofulvin (Fulvicin U/F, Grifulvin V, Grisactin) 
• immunosuppressants such as azathioprine (Imuran), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral), mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept), sirolimus (Rapamune), and tacrolimus (Prograf, Protopic) 
• MAO inhibitor antidepressants such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and isocarboxazid (Marplan) (Do  not take this medicine and an MAO inhibitor within 14 days of each other.) 
• medicines to help you sleep such as zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata) 
• mephenytoin (Mesantoin) and ethotoin (Peganone) 
• metronidazole (Flagyl) 
• muscle relaxants such as tizanidine (Zanaflex), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), carisoprodol (Soma), methocarbamol (Robaxin), dantrolene Dantrium), and baclofen (Lioresal) 
• theophylline (Theobid) 
• tretinoin (Vesanoid). 

Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, nonprescription, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins) with you. Be sure that you tell all health care providers who treat you about all the products you are taking. 

How should I store this medicine? 

Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright light.