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"   What is amobarbital used for?  Severe, long-standing insomnia in people already taking barbiturate medicines.  Amobarbital is not licensed in the UK, so has to be made as a &amp;#039;special&amp;#039; or imported from abroad by a licensed pharmaceutical importer on a named-patient basis.   How does amobarbital work? Amobarbital belongs to a group of medicines called barbiturates.  Barbiturates work by enhancing the action of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain.  Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are stored in nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. They are involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells. GABA is a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural &amp;#039;nerve-calming&amp;#039; agent. It helps keep the nerve activity in the brain in balance, and is involved in inducing sleepiness, reducing anxiety and relaxing muscles.  Amobarbital increases the activity of GABA in the brain, thereby increasing its calming effect and resulting in sleepiness. Amobarbital remains active in the body for many hours and so may cause sleepiness that continues into the next day. Amobarbital is used in the treatment of severe sleeping difficulties (insomnia). It is only prescribed to people who are already taking barbiturate medicines and will not be started in new patients. This is because it has a high potential for dependence and addiction and has more side effects and interactions with other medicines than other treatments for insomnia. It is also more dangerous if an overdose is taken.   Important information about amobarbital  This medicine causes drowsiness that may last into the next day. It may also impair your mental or physical ability to perform potentially hazardous tasks such as driving or operating machinary. If affected do not drive or operate machinery.   Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. People quickly become tolerant to the sleep inducing effect of this medicine. If it is used continuously for longer than two weeks, it is likely to lose its effectiveness at causing and maintaining sleep. However, the medicine has a strong potential for making you become physically or psychologically dependent on it. You should not increase your dose without consulting a doctor first. This medicine is generally only suitable for short-term use. If it is used for long periods or in high doses, tolerance to and dependence upon the medicine may develop, and withdrawal symptoms may occur if treatment is stopped suddenly. Treatment with this medicine should usually be stopped gradually, following the instructions given by your doctor, in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, rebound insomnia, nightmares, irritability, tremor or convulsions. If you have been taking this medicine for long periods of time your doctor may want you to have regular blood tests to monitor your kidney and liver function and blood counts.    Amobarbital should be used with caution by  People with depression. People with liver disease. People with decreased kidney function. People with decreased function of the adrenal glands (hypoadrenal function). People with reduced blood flow to vital internal organs (shock). People with slow, shallow breathing (respiratory depression).    Amobarbital should not be used by  Children and young adults Elderly people. Weak or debilitated people. People with a history of drug abuse or addiction. People with a history of alcohol abuse or alcoholism. People with an allergy to barbiturates. People with hereditary blood disorders called porphyrias. People with severely decreased liver function. People with lung disease causing obvious shortness of breath. People with sudden (acute) or ongoing (chronic) pain. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.   This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.   Pregnancy and breastfeeding Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.  This medicine must not be used during pregnancy as it may be harmful to the unborn baby. Seek medical advice from your doctor. This medicine passes into breast milk and may be harmful to a nursing infant. It should not be taken by women who are breastfeeding. Seek medical advice from your doctor.     Possible side effects of amobarbital Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Sleepiness. Drowsiness and lightheadedness. Dizziness. Confusion. Agitation. Anxiety. Shaky movements and unsteady walk (ataxia). Headache. Disturbances of the gut such as constipation, nausea or vomiting. Unexpected excitement (paradoxical excitement). Slower than normal heart beat (bradycardia). Decreased blood pressure (hypotension). Slowed breathing. Liver damage.  The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine&amp;#039;s manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist. If you think you have experienced a side effect from a medicine or vaccine you should check the patient information leaflet. This lists the known side effects and what to do if you get them. You can also get advice from your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. If they think is necessary they&amp;#039;ll report it for you. You can also report side effects yourself using the yellow card website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.   How can amobarbital affect other medicines? It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to make sure that the combination is safe.  There may be an increased risk of marked sedation if amobarbital is taken in combination with any of the following, which can also cause drowsiness:   alcohol benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam  other barbiturates, eg phenobarbital, secobarbital  sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, promethazine, hydroxyzine   sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone  strong opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine (these may also increase the risk of breathing problems) tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.  Amobarbital may increase the breakdown of the following medicines by the liver. As this could decrease the level of these medicines in the blood and may make them less effective. If you are taking any of these medicines with amobarbital your doctor may need to adjust your doses:  anti-blood-clotting medicines (anticoagulants) such as warfarin  beta-blockers such as propranolol  corticosteroids such as prednisolone  doxycycline metronidazole  oestrogens and progestogens, for example in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or hormonal contraceptives such as the pill or mini-pill. (Amobarbital may make hormonal contraceptives less effective at preventing pregnancy. Your doctor may suggest that you use a non-hormonal method of contraception if you are taking this medicine.) theophylline  thyroid hormones tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline.    Other medicines containing amobarbital Amobarbital used to be marketed in the UK under the brand name Sodium Amytal, however this is now discontinued. There are currently no licensed medicines available in the UK that contain amobarbital. Amobarbital sodium is available in the UK on a named-patient basis only.    Further reading For background information about our medicine factsheets, including the references used to produce them, click here. Last updated 03.06.2015 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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