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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 other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

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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 like you might pass out;

• a fever or a sore throat;

• sores in your mouth;

• easy bruising or bleeding; or

• ongoing nightmares or increased dreaming.

Less serious side effects may include:

• drowsiness or dizziness;

• problems with memory or concentration;

• excitement (especially in children or older adults);

• upset stomach, constipation;

• headache; or

• "hangover" effect (drowsiness the day after a dose).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may also occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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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. 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.

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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, 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.

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What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Take secobarbital only when you are getting ready for several hours of sleep. If you do not have time to get a full night's sleep after taking the medication, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled sleep time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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What other drugs will affect secobarbital?
Many drugs can interact with secobarbital. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using: acetaminophen (Tylenol); a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin); an antibiotic such as doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Mondox, Oracea, Vibramycin, and others), griseofulvin (Grisactin, Fulvicin PG, Grifulvin V), or metronidazole (Flagyl); birth control pills or estrogen hormone replacement, including estrogen (Premarin), estradiol (Estrace, Femtrace, and others), progesterone (Progest, Prometrium), and others;

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Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?

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 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.

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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. Overdose symptoms may include slow or shallow breathing, blurred vision, extreme drowsiness, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking secobarbital?
Some people using this medicine have engaged in activity such as driving, 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;

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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.

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