What is sodium amytal?

Answer 1

Amytal Sodium (amobarbital sodium) is a classified as an intermediate acting barbiturate. Barbiturates are nonselective central nervous system (CNS) depressants. In subhypnotic doses, they are also used as anticonvulsants. Barbiturates are subject to control under the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Amytal Sodium is a schedule II controlled substance indicating a (comparatively) high potential for abuse, misuse, addiction, dependence, and diversion.

According to its official prescribing information Amytal Sodium is FDA approved as a "sedative, a hypnotic, for the short-term treatment of insomnia, since it appears to lose its effectiveness for sleep induction and sleep maintenance after 2 weeks, and as a preanaesthetic." It has also been commonly used off-label as an anticonvulsant, for use in narcoanalysis*; and has been used in diagnosis of schizophrenia and for catatonic, negativistic, and manic reactions, but generally has been replaced by other agents.

*Narcoanalysis (or narcosynthesis) is a psychiatric procedure rarly preformed anymore is a involves the intravenous administration of one or more psychotropic drugs (most commonly an intervinious barbiturate such as sodium pentothal amobarbital sodium) which (in nearly all forms of narcoanalysis) causes the patient to enter into a highly sedated hypnotic state. In this state, the patient expieriences a significant loss of inhibition and the patient is more likely to divulge information, which would usually not be revealed in the conscious state. He or she may also divulge all his fantasies, personal wishes, impulses, instinctual drive, illusions, delusions, conflicts, misinterpretations, and so on. This is a different way of using these type of drugs compared to the typically archaic (and normally ineffective) ideal of using them as a form of truth surm. Other drugs used in narcoanalysis include amphetamines, other stimulants, psychedelics, benzodiazepines, and belladonna alkaloids. Also narcoanalysis is often applied to using medication, typically lorazepam, when treating people who are catatonic or have other serious medical problems.

Answer 2

Sodium amytal is a barbiturate drug that acts as a central nervous system depressant. It is sometimes used as a sedative or to induce anesthesia, and has also been studied for its potential use in therapy to elicit repressed memories. However, its use is limited due to the potential for abuse and side effects.