| Indication | Used in combination with acetaminophen or aspirin and caffeine for its sedative and relaxant effects in the treatment of tension headaches, migraines, and pain. |
| Pharmacodynamics | Butalbital is a short to intermediate-acting barbiturate. Barbiturates act as nonselective depressants of the central nervous system (CNS), capable of producing all levels of CNS mood alteration from excitation to mild sedation, hypnosis, and deep coma. In sufficiently high therapeutic doses, barbiturates induce anesthesia. |
| Mechanism of action | Butalbital binds at a distinct binding site associated with a Cl- ionopore at the GABAA receptor, increasing the duration of time for which the Cl- ionopore is open. The post-synaptic inhibitory effect of GABA in the thalamus is, therefore, prolonged. |
| Absorption | Well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is expected to distribute to most tissues in the body. |
| Volume of distribution | Not Available |
| Protein binding | 45% |
| Metabolism | Hepatic, although most of the dose is eliminated via the kidney (59 to 88%). Urinary excretion products included parent drug (about 3.6% of the dose), 5-isobutyl-5-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) barbituric acid (about 24% of the dose), 5-allyl-5(3-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propyl) barbituric acid (about 4.8%). |
| Route of elimination | Not Available |
| Half life | 35 hours |
| Clearance | Not Available |
| Toxicity | Symptoms of acute barbiturate poisoning include drowsiness, confusion, coma, respiratory depression, hypotension, and shock. |
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