During the fall of 1970, I was prescribed Sodium Seconal when I was hospitalized. I took it for sleep. At nine PM, the nurse doled out my sleeping pill. I never taken Seconal before. And so, at nine PM, I take my med with a glass of water. At about 9:30 PM, I had a panic attack.
Secobarbital
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 17 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki, PubChem)
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 17 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki, PubChem)
Aliases: Reds, Seggy, Seconal, Red birds, Red devils
Summary
Secobarbital, also known as secobarbitone in British English and by the brand name Seconal, is a short-acting psychoactive drug of the barbiturate class which produces powerful anxiolytic, hypnotic, muscle relaxant and amnesic effects. The combination drug Tuinal has a combination of secobarbital and amobarbital. Secobarbital is used medically as a hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia and as an anticonvulsant in emergency situations, such as status epilepticus.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 25-50mg | 50-150mg | 150-300mg | 300mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 15-60 min | 4-8 hrs | 2-4 hrs | 6-10 hrs |
Import into PsychonautWiki Journal
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Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Tolerance
Build-up
develops over 1–4 weeks of daily use; hypnotic tolerance faster than anxiolytic tolerance
Reset
weeks to months depending on half-life and duration of use; taper recommended
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
3d
Half tolerance
37d
Baseline
~60d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session — the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Effects
Positive
- Physical Euphoria
- Muscle Relaxation
- Pain Relief
- Anxiolytic
- Muscle relaxant
Negative
- Motor impairment
- Respiratory Depression
- Sedation
- Sedative
- Dystaxia
Positive
- Anxiety Suppression
- Cognitive Euphoria
Negative
- Motor Control Loss
- Amnesia
- Thought Deceleration
- Compulsive Redosing
- Language Suppression
- Delusions of Sobriety
- Analysis Suppression
- Emotion Suppression
Positive
- Tracers
- Increased Music Appreciation
Negative
- Disinhibition
- Decreased Libido
- Acuity Suppression
- Dulled perception
- Metallic Taste
- Visual Drifting
- External Hallucinations
- Auditory Hallucinations
Combinations
Cross-Check Secobarbital with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.
Erowid 1 report 1 cautionary visit
Bluelight 2 threads 2 neutral visit
A friend of mine emailed me the other day bragging about the Seconal (secobarbital) he had gotten... i figured i'd post his email (with his permission of course) about the substance since it's such a rarity these days. I got my Seconal (secobarbital sodium) filled last night, finally.
So on Friday I tried Methiopropamine (orally, then afterwards IVed), a relatively safe RC stimulant, however I used a pretty large dose (over 200mg) and the first euphoric effects lasted for about 6 hours, and after that I just felt strong energy and motivation, followed by insomnia, so I didn't sleep on Friday night,...
Pill Identifiers
1
known pill identifiers on record — view imprints, colors, shapes, and images
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Secobarbital's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
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Helpful Links
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