Thiopental
Limited data
Limited data
Sparse data. Doses and effects may be unreliable or untested.
- 2 corroborating sources
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
- 2 corroborating sources
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
Aliases: Pentothal, Thiopentone, Penthiobarbital, Sodium pentothal, Sodium thiopental
Summary
Thiopental is an ultra-short-acting barbiturate used primarily for anesthesia induction, rapid sedation, emergency seizure control, and reducing intracranial pressure. It must be administered intravenously by trained medical professionals. The drug's brief duration of action results from rapid redistribution to fat and muscle tissue rather than metabolism.
Dose Information
| ROA | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Intravenous | <50mg |
Only a threshold dose is documented for this substance — the smallest amount with a noticeable effect. There is no published light/common/strong ladder to show above it.
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intravenous | 36 sec | 1 min | 1-2 min | 5-15 min | 8-19 min |
Add to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal logging app doesn't include every substance. To track Thiopental there, start adding an ingestion, search for the name, and choose to add it as a custom substance. Paste these values:
Thiopental Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Intravenous dose (mg): threshold <50 Intravenous duration: onset 36s · come-up 1m · peak 1-2m · offset 5-15m · total 8-19m · after-effects 2-6h Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.
The app keeps custom substances simple, so the full dose ranges live in the description text above. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Tolerance
Tolerance Decay
Clinically, acute tolerance to hypnotic effects can develop rapidly with repeated doses during a case; chronic tolerance and dependence are well documented with barbiturates as a class. Data specific to thiopental tolerance kinetics in humans are limited; estimates here reflect class effects and expert inference.
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
- Muscle relaxation
- Physical Euphoria
- Analgesia
- Loss of consciousness
- Respiratory depression
- Nausea
- Sedation
- Decreased intracranial pressure
- Reduction of external stimuli
- Buzzing sensation in nerve
- Anxiety suppression
- Reduced anxiety
- Cognitive Euphoria
- Laughter Fits
- Amnesia
- Motor control loss
- Cognitive impairment
- Ego Death
- Dissociation
- Visual Geometry
- Disinhibition
- Tactile Suppression
- Acuity suppression
- Auditory suppression
- Dulled perception
- Auditory Distortion
- Sound distortion
- Minor to strong hallucinations
- Changes in felt bodily form
Helpful Links
Report an issue or suggest an edit
Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for Thiopental? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.