Seconal is the brand name for Secobarbital sodium marketed for a time by Eli Lilly and Company.
Eventually the marketing rights for Seconal were obtained by Marathon Pharmaceuticals, which sells the drug as Seconal Sodium. Seconal Sodium is manufactured by Ohm Laboratories Inc. The drug exists only as 100 mg capsules for oral use. The capsules are orange in color and have RX679 imprinted on the capsules. To see an image of the capsule go here. The active ingredient of Seconal Sodium is 100 mg of Secobarbital Sodium (Secobarbital). Inactive ingredients are dimethicone, FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Yellow No. 10, gelatin, magnesium stearate, pregelatinized starch and titanium dioxide.
Seconal has three indicated uses: the treatment of epilepsy, temporary treatment of insomnia, and use as a preoperative medication to induce anaesthesia and anxiolysis in short procedures which are minimally painful.
Seconal Sodium is a DEA Class 2 Schedule drug ("has a high potential for abuse, has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States", and abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Seconal is in the pregnancy category D in the U.S.("There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks."). When used in mothers who are breast-feeding care should be taken as the drug is excreted in the milk.
Severe poisoning for most barbiturates occurs at 1 g of the drug. Death usually occurs after 2-10 gs are ingested. Symptoms of an overdose may occur in as little as 15 minutes. Initial symptoms may include CNS depression, hypotension, and hypothermia. Hemorrhagic blisters can occur, usually at pressure points. In an extreme overdose all electrical activity in the brain may stop.
In studies the only adverse reaction occurring in more than 1 in 100 patients seemed to be sleepiness or drowsiness ("somnolence"). It seemed to occur at a rate of 3 to 100 patients. Some of the adverse reactions occurring in about 1 in 100 patients or less were agitation, hypoventilation (respiratory depression), bradycardia (any heart rate less than 60 beats per minute (BPM) in adults), nausea, and headache, among others.
Seconal Sodium may have as many as 13 disease interactions. The major interactions are Acute Alcohol Intoxication, Drug Dependence, Liver Disease, Porphyria, Rash, Respiratory Depression, Cardiovascular, and Prolonged Hypotension. Moderate disease interactions can include Adrenal Insufficiency, Depression, Hematologic Toxicity, Osteomalacia, and Paradoxical Reactions.
With patients who have liver damage the drug must be administered carefully and at a reduced dose at the beginning. Seconal Sodium can have drug interactions with anticoagulants, corticosteroids, Griseofulvin, Doxycycline, Phenytoin, Sodium Valproate, Valproic Acid, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs), Estradiol, Estrone, Progesterone, and Other Steroidal Hormones.
Sources:
http://marathonpharma.com/seconal-sodium/ - Marketer's Official Website Page for Seconal Sodium
http://marathonpharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Seconal_Sodium_PI_9_08.pdf - Marketer's Official Prescribing Information
http://www.drugs.com/pro/seconal-sodium.html - Seconal Prescribing Information
http://www.drugs.com/disease-interactions/secobarbital,seconal-sodium.html