An Analysis of the Side Effects of the Barbituric Acid in Barbiturate Essay

Barbiturate. Now where would you think of a name like that? Legend has it that this drug was derived when a 29 year old research assistant, Adolph von Baeyer, was working in his Belgian laboratory in 1863 when he took the condensation of malonic acid and combined it with Urea. Von Baeyer went downtown to a local pub to celebrate where some army officers where celebrating Feast Day of Saint Barbara. So he took the name Barbara and combined it with the chemical that mostly made up this new acid and came out with barbituric acid. In 1912, two German scientists used von Baeyers acid to synthesize a new drug, barbitol. What they were looking for was a drug that would combat the effects of anxiety and nervousness. They were successful but the side effects were too great.Barbiturates are drugs that cause depression of the central nervous system and are generally used to induce europhia. D.C. Heaths Perspectives on HEALTH defines europhia as a feeling of intense happiness and well being. Most users take the pills orally, often with alcohol. The most common way to get the barbiturates is in tablet form. Other ways to get barbiturates include ampoules, syrup, or capsules. For injection, which is rarely used because of its risk factor, capsules are opened and the powder is added to water. However, this can cause damage to the veins. Barbiturates come in different types such as Soneryl, Nembutal, Amytal, and Tuinal. Small doses relax the user, depressing the nervous system while the effects last up to 8 hours depending on the dosage. Large doses can cause loss of co-ordination, slurred speech, and give the appearance of being drunk. The lethal dose is especially close to the normal dose that is why it is very risky to use barbiturates. On the street, barbiturates are classified by their color such as blues which are amytal, and yellow jackets which are nembutal, or red birds or...

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