Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

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Indications

Epilepsy Insomnia

Phenobarbital is used as a sedative, and as a hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia. Doctors also use it as a pre-anaesthetic. For long-term treatment, it works as an anticonvulsant in generalized tonic-clonic seizures and cortical local seizures. Phenobarbital is also given in the emergency control of certain acute convulsive episodes, namely those associated with status epilepticus, eclampsia, meningitis, tetanus, and toxic reactions to Strychnine or local anesthetics.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Phenobarbital is the longest-acting barbiturate. It is used for its anticonvulsant and sedative-hypnotic effects in managing all seizure disorders except absence (petit mal).

It acts on GABAA receptors and increases synaptic inhibition. This raises the seizure threshold and reduces the spread of seizure activity from the seizure focus. Phenobarbital may also block calcium channels, which lowers the release of excitatory transmitters. Its sedative-hypnotic effects most likely come from its action on the polysynaptic midbrain reticular formation, the area that controls CNS arousal.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Phenobarbital is a Pregnancy Category D medicine. It can cause fetal damage when given to a pregnant woman. If it is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking it, she should be told about the potential hazard to the fetus.

Be careful when giving Phenobarbital to a nursing woman, because small amounts of Phenobarbital pass into the breast milk.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Here are the suggested doses of Phenobarbital for specific indications. Pediatric oral dosage is 1 mg to 3 mg/kg before an operation, and 1 mg to 6 mg/kg per day when used as an anticonvulsant. Adult oral dosage is 30 mg to 120 mg daily in 2 to 3 divided doses as a daytime sedative. At bedtime, as a hypnotic, the dose is 100 mg to 320 mg. The anticonvulsant dose is 50 mg to 100 mg 2 to 3 times daily. Pediatric injection dosage is 15 to 20 mg/kg IV over 10 to 15 min. Preoperative sedation needs 1 to 3 mg/kg IM/IV, and the anticonvulsant dose is 4 to 6 mg/kg IM/IV per day, for 10 days. Alternatively, use 10 to 15 mg/kg IM/IV per day to reach therapeutic level more quickly. The maximum IV rate is 60 mg/min. Adult injection dosage is 100 to 320 mg IM/IV for insomnia. Convulsions are treated with 100 to 320 mg IV, repeated if needed (maximum, 600 mg per day). Status epilepticus calls for 10 to 20 mg/kg IV, and this too can be repeated if needed.

Side Effects & Interactions

Side Effects

No side-effect data recorded yet.