Amobarbital
Aliases: Blues, Amytal, Blue birds, Blue velvet, Blue devils
Categories
Summary
Amobarbital (formerly sold as Amytal and as half of Tuinal) is an intermediate-acting barbiturate that potentiates and directly activates GABA-A receptors. The therapeutic index is narrow: doses above approximately 1.5 g have produced fatal respiratory depression. Because its elimination half-life averages 24 hours, next-day cognitive and motor impairment is common. Combining with any CNS depressant dramatically amplifies overdose risk. Repeated daily use for a week or more can generate severe dependence; abrupt cessation requires medical tapering to prevent life-threatening withdrawal.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 50mg | 50-75mg | 75-150mg | 150mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | After Effects | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 15-30 min | 30-60 min | 1-4 hrs | 3-5 hrs | 2-12 hrs | 300-0 min |
| Intravenous | 1-2 min | 5-10 min | 1-4 hrs | 3-5 hrs | 2-12 hrs | 300-0 min |
| Intramuscular | 5-15 min | 15-30 min | 1-4 hrs | 3-5 hrs | 2-12 hrs | 300-0 min |
Tolerance
Build-up
varies by mechanism; therapeutic tolerance may develop over weeks of regular use
Reset
typically days to weeks after discontinuation
Effects
Positive
- Anxiolysis
- Muscle relaxation
- Anxiolytic
- Muscle Relaxant
Negative
- Ataxia
- Nystagmus
- Respiratory depression
- Sedation
- Slurred speech
- Sedative
- Dystaxia
- Hypnotic
Positive
- Euphoria
- Reduced anxiety
- Cognitive Euphoria
Negative
- Dizziness
- Cognitive suppression
- Anterograde amnesia
- Dream suppression
- Delusions of sobriety
- Amnesia
- Emotional dampening
Positive
- Tactile Enhancement
- Increased Music Appreciation
- Color enhancement
Negative
- Disinhibition
- Decreased Libido
- Acuity Suppression
- Dehydration
- Light sensitivity
- Acuity suppression
- Dulled perception