About

This is a drug, used to control the anxiety and to reduce it. Sometimes it’s prescribed to help people to get rid of insomnia. But those are short-term treatments. Of course there can be other diseases to treat with Phenobarbital. That’s why you have to ask for prescription from your doctor.

Uses

Manufacturers produce this drug in three forms: as a tablet, a capsule or a liquid. All of those are taken oral. If you were prescribed liquid treatment – you have to purchase a special measuring spoon to be exact in your measuring.

Doctors sometimes practice prescribing this medicine to be used few times a day. It doesn’t matter if you take Phenobarbital with food or without any. But if you were advised to take it just once in 24 hours, you have to take it just before you are going to sleep.

Remember that Phenobarbital drug is rather strong and has to be taken attentively and carefully. If something is in the prescription that you can’t understand, you have to ask a doctor for explanation.

For the patients with convulsions or seizure, Phenobarbital should be used just on the scheduled time. There can’t be any delays or prescheduled uses.

Pharmacists insist taking drug only as prescribed because they know it can form habit, which is rather unpleasant fact. If it is also used for more than two weeks, it’s likely not to be able to help you any more then. Don’t do any self-treatment. You are prohibited to enlarge the doses, change the schedule or to prolong the treatment period.

If you feel the drug isn’t as effective as it used to be, this can be the sign of your body getting used to Phenobarbital. That’s not dangerous but you have to make a little stop. To treat more serious diseases than insomnia, you have to use the drug regularly.  If sometimes you fell like being able to fall asleep without a pill, you shouldn’t believe that feeling and skip the dose. Such interruption can cause unpleasant results after.

If the convulsions or seizures have appeared you don’t have to report a doctor about that. Don’t stop the drug abruptly and without being told to do that by your doctor. You can be affected by the withdrawal symptoms in that case, for example anxiousness, sleeplessness or irritability.

Precautions

If your doctor told you need to use Phenobarbital for a while, be ready to report him about following: if you have any kind of allergy (for this drug or any other kind).

If you are currently using such medicines as acetaminophen (Tylenol); anticoagulants such as warfarin (Coumadin); carbamazepine (Tegretol); chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin); clonazepam (Klonopin); disulfiram (Antabuse); doxycycline (Vibramycin); felodipine (Plendil); fenoprofen (Nalfon); griseofulvin (Fulvicin); MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil) or tranylcypromine (Parnate)]; medications for depression, seizures, pain, asthma, colds, or allergies; metoprolol (Lopressor); metronidazole (Flagyl); muscle relaxants; phenylbutazone (Azolid, Butazolidin); propranolol (Inderal); quinidine; rifampin (Rifadin); sedatives; sleeping pills; steroids; theophylline (Theo-Dur); tranquilizers; valproic acid (Depakene); verapamil (Calan); and vitamins you should inform a doctor immediately. If you take any other drugs, tell the doctor about them also. This is very important because these drugs’ mix can cause unpleasant consequences.

If there are notes about anemia or seizures, or lung, heart, or liver disease in your health history, be ready to tell a pharmacist about those.

The effectiveness of birth control pills can be declined, as you are treated by Phenobarbital. That’s why you’d better use other contraceptives to be 100% sure about the birth control.

For pregnant or beast feeding women it’s better to ask for an advice from a doctor as it’s not very safe using Phenobarbital while those periods. If a woman has become pregnant while the Phenobarbital treatment period, she has to report her doctor about that at once.

For those patients who need to have surgery soon, (even dental one) Phenobarbital should be mentioned to the doctor.

Taking alcohol can cause dangerous and unpleasant results. For example slow reaction and loss of attention or even drowsiness. Phenobarbital can itself cause the decrease of attention level so choose the types of work to do (while you take Phenobarbital) which don’t require attention and 100% reaction.

Skipped dose

When the missed dose occurred, you have to take it when you remember. But if there is a danger of doubling the dose, forget about that missed one. Under any circumstances you don’t have to take two doses at once to fulfill the schedule.

Storage

Keep the drug in a room temperature. Don’t let your children take it. The humidity level should be usual (avoid bathroom). Use the drug only if the period of its possible use isn’t finished.