Pharmacology
DrugBankDescription
Secobarbital (marketed by Eli Lilly and Company under the brand names Seconal and Tuinal) is a barbiturate derivative drug with anaesthetic, anticonvulsant, sedative and hypnotic properties. It is commonly known as quinalbarbitone in the United Kingdom.
Mechanism of Action
Secobarbital 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.
Pharmacodynamics
Secobarbital, a barbiturate, is used for the induction of anesthesia prior to the use of other general anesthetic agents and for induction of anesthesia for short surgical, diagnostic, or therapeutic procedures associated with minimal painful stimuli. Little analgesia is conferred by barbiturates; their use in the presence of pain may result in excitation.
Toxicity
Symptoms of an overdose typically include sluggishness, incoordination, difficulty in thinking, slowness of speech, faulty judgment, drowsiness or coma, shallow breathing, staggering, and in severe cases coma and death.
Indication
For the Short-term treatment of intractable insomnia for patients habituated to barbiturates
Elimination
Barbiturates are metabolized primarily by the hepatic microsomal enzyme system, and the metabolic products are excreted in the urine and, less commonly, in the feces.
Receptor Profile
Receptor Actions
Receptor Binding
History & Culture
1914–1959
Secobarbital was first developed in Germany in 1914 as part of ongoing barbiturate research. Eli Lilly and Company subsequently patented the compound in the United States in 1934 and later introduced it to the American pharmaceutical market in 1959 under the brand name Seconal. The drug was initially indicated for the treatment of insomnia. Eli Lilly also marketed a combination product called Tuinal, which contained both secobarbital and amobarbital.
1960–1989
Secobarbital became widely abused for recreational purposes throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The drug's distinctive bright orange-red bullet-shaped capsule, marketed by Eli Lilly under the proprietary name Pulvule, gave rise to numerous street nicknames including "reds," "red devils," "red dillies," "seccies," "Cardinals," "ruby slippers," and "red hearts." A less common nickname, "dolls," was partly responsible for the title of Jacqueline Susann's novel Valley of the Dolls, whose main characters use secobarbital and similar drugs. Among barbiturates, secobarbital carries a particularly high risk of abuse and addiction, and accidental overdoses were commonly associated with the drug during this period. Several notable figures allegedly died by suicide or accidental overdose involving secobarbital, including actresses Carole Landis, Judy Garland, and Lupe Vélez, playwright Tennessee Williams, table tennis champion Ruth Aarons, and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. The drug was also associated with several significant historical events. In 1969, secobarbital was allegedly used to sedate Black Panther leader Fred Hampton before he was killed during a police raid on December 4th. Following the 1978 mass deaths at Jonestown, approximately 1,000 pills of Seconal were recovered at the Peoples Temple settlement along with substantial quantities of other sedatives and analgesics. Prescription use began declining in the early 1980s as benzodiazepines emerged as safer alternatives for sedation and sleep, and secobarbital's high abuse potential became a primary factor in its diminishing medical role.
1998–present
Secobarbital has found contemporary application as an agent in medical-assisted dying and palliative sedation. In the Netherlands, individuals seeking euthanasia may orally consume 100 mL of concentrated syrup containing either 15 grams of pentobarbital or 15 grams of secobarbital. In the United States, secobarbital and pentobarbital became the most commonly prescribed drugs under physician aid-in-dying laws, beginning with Oregon in 1998, followed by Washington in 2008 and Vermont in 2013. Canada authorized secobarbital for physician-assisted dying in 2017.
1998–2022
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals obtained the rights to market Seconal from Eli Lilly in 1998 and maintained the brand until September 2008. During Marathon Pharmaceuticals' subsequent ownership of the brand, the company substantially increased the drug's price. By February 2015, when Marathon sold the rights to Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the average retail price per 100 mg capsule had risen from approximately one dollar to over thirty dollars. Bausch Health, the company formerly known as Valeant, ceased manufacturing Seconal in January 2022.
Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics
drugs.wikiTolerance Decay
Experience Report Analysis
ErowidDemographics
Gender Distribution
Reports Over Time
Legal Status
| Country | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Schedule IV CDSA | Controlled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Available by prescription with appropriate controls for Schedule IV substances. |
| Germany | Anlage III BtMG | Listed in Anlage III of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz (Narcotics Act). Requires a special narcotic prescription form (Betäubungsmittelrezept) for medical dispensing. |
| Russia | Schedule III | Classified as a Schedule III controlled substance under Russian drug control legislation. |
| Switzerland | Verzeichnis B | Specifically named controlled substance under Verzeichnis B of Swiss narcotics legislation. Medicinal use is permitted with appropriate authorization. |
| United Kingdom | Class B | Controlled as secobarbitone under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Class B substances carry penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment for possession and up to 14 years for supply. |
| United States | Schedule II | Controlled under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule II classification indicates high abuse potential with accepted medical use under severe restrictions. Marketed as Seconal Sodium for treatment of intractable insomnia. |