Barbiturates are prescription sedatives or “sleeping pills” and benzodiazepines are prescription tranquilizers. Both act as central nervous system depressants.
Tranquilizers fall into two main classes, major and minor. Major tranquilizers, which are also known as antipsychotic agents, or neuroleptics, are so called because they are used to treat major states of mental disturbance in schizophrenics and other psychotic patients.
Antianxiety drugs or minor tranquilizers include the benzodiazepines such as chlordiazepoxide and diazepam; the muscle relaxant derivative meprobamate; sedatives such as the barbiturates; and buspirone, which was first introduced as an antipsychotic drug.
Barbiturates are a group of sedative-hypnotic medications used for treating seizure disorder, neonatal withdrawal, insomnia, preoperative anxiety, and induction of coma for increased intracranial pressure. They are also useful for inducing anesthesia.
Examples of CNS depressants are benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and certain sleep medicines. CNS depressants are sometimes called sedatives or tranquilizers. Also called central nervous system depressant.
Benzodiazepines are a type of medication known as tranquilizers. Familiar names include Valium and Xanax. They are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States.
Sedatives are a category of drugs that slow brain activity. Also known as tranquilizers or depressants, sedatives have a calming effect and can also induce sleep. There are three main classes of sedative medications: Barbiturates: These drugs can be taken on their own or along with anesthesia.
What are Barbiturates? Depressant drug used to help sleep, relieve anxiety, muscle spasms, and prevent seizures. Prescribed names: Fiorina®, Pentothal®, Seconal®, or Nembutal®.
Equanil is carbamic ester tranquilizer not barbituric acid derivative.
There are four kinds of barbiturates: "ultra short-acting," "short-acting," "intermediate-acting," and "long-acting" barbiturates.
Benzodiazepines are the most widely used group of sedative drugs. Due to their safety and improved effectiveness, they have largely replaced barbiturates as drugs of choice in the treatment of anxiety.
diazepam, tranquilizing drug used in the treatment of anxiety and as an aid in preoperative and postoperative sedation. Diazepam also is used to treat skeletal muscle spasms.
The primary difference between the two is that benzodiazepines do not stimulate the GABA receptor directly, they simply make GABA receptors more efficient. Benzodiazepines still produce a calming effect but don't have as depressive an effect on the central nervous system as barbiturates do.
Meprobamate (Equanil, Miltown) has been around since the 1950s. It was one of the most successful drugs of that era. This blockbuster tranquilizer was considered far safer than the barbiturates it replaced.
There are three types of benzodiazepines: long, intermediate and short-acting.
Tranquilizers are drugs which bring about mental tranquillity by relieving anxiety and tension without affecting consciousness, whereas sedatives are drugs that produce a calming effect, bring about a state of physical and mental comfort accompanied by a reduction or even suspension of mental activity and finally ...
Sleep aids, or sleeping pills, belong to a class of drugs called “sedative hypnotics.” These medications induce and maintain sleep and generally break down into two types: barbiturate sedatives and non-barbiturate sedatives, including benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines.
Veronal, Valium and Serotonin are examples of barbiturates or sleep-inducing drugs.
Clonazepam, the most potent benzodiazepine, is used to treat seizures and anxiety disorders. Xanax can be considered the most potent benzodiazepine to treat anxiety.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Benzodiazepines most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders are clonazepam (Rivotril)*, alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan). Also used are bromazepam (Lectopam), oxazepam (Serax), chlordiazepoxide (once marketed as Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene) and diazepam (Valium).