i have a friend who gave me some phenobarbital because he claims that it makes him very drowsy. normally i take xanax to fall asleep, but i decided to try the phenobarb tonight. the only problem is that i have taken approx 250 mg about 4 hours ago, but i cannot fall asleep.

perhaps the possible cross tolerance is an issue, but i need to fall asleep. is it safe to take my normal 1 mg of xanax to fall asleep?

That's a big NO, Radar. 250mg is way too much anyway, how many pills is that? Stick to your own medication, OK? Or you may need to decide about funeral arrangements sooner than you expected.

ok now, i am slightly worried. in the future i will just stick to the xanax, but i became frsutrated and took my xanax after a while anyway (about 30 minutes ago) i am feeling more sedated....should i stay awake, then, until the xanax wears off and i eventually will probably pass out later on from sheer exhaustion? as you can see from my sentence structure this might not have been a good idea but i couldn't get proper information in time and i am impatient.

in any event, i feel fine right now. the synergistic effect is very relaxing and i do not feel like i am in danger.

in the future i will just stick to my own medicine.

i am not looking for a euphoric effect, just a possible alternative for sleep, which is why i tried for the pheno.

live and learn, but i certainly have no anxiety right now

Phenobarbital is mainly used for kids, these days, if used at all. I've taken it once or twice and I believe the pills were 60mg and I could take 2 during the day, for tension headaches and not feel very drowsy. 250mg is a lot but it's not that much. According to 'The Pill Book', 100-200mg is the normal dose for sleep. Also it's effects last anywhere from 10-16hrs and it's onset is 30-60min.

You're safe davot, so long as you haven't mixed any narcotics with the pheno. I found it to be very mild when it came to sedation and generally a waste of time.

OK, the fact that you mentioned "not looking for a euphoric affect" is the really bad part of this. I looked up some articles on pheno, and apparently your friend had this paradoxical affect after some sedation, and probably told you so. Your asking for trouble with these anti-seizure medications mixed with benzo's. Pheno in particular has a particularly quick refractory seizure response because of how it is absorbed as compared to other anti-seizure meds.

I don't think it's going to help you to try to stay awake, maybe you're thinking of concussion. If you're afraid of overdose or meds that contraindicate each other and cause seizures, blackouts or other significant problems, go to a psychiatrist and tell him about your problems with sleep. People get scripts for meds that are meant for sleep. Xanax isn't one of them. Capisca?

Why do these kids seek out permanent brain damage, if they're lucky enough not to be born with it? Rhetorical question. It's great to be fried before the age of 25, a goal worthy of any olympic athlete or college professor.

I missed that you took the xanax, as well. Not a bright thing to do davot. Mixing barbituates with benzo's is asking for a drowning in vomit. Why not do a couple of jello shots, since you're still awake? That was a joke, btw. Just don't touch any other drugs for the evening and you should be OK.

Take SoHo's advice, in the morning and find a good psychiatrist, to treat your real issues. I have bad chronic insomnia and haven't slept in 2 nights. I'm still just taking my normal meds. There's no sense in trying to force sleep. You need to deal with the underlying problem instead of burying it under pheno and xanax. We had a member die from mixing pheno and a narcotic 2 years ago.

thanks pillar, it's good to know everything is straight. well, i did add on the xanax and i'm set to sleep.

i see a psychiatrist and am prescribed xanax to sleep. my friend's need for a doctor is irrelevant, nevertheless he told me it would make me drowsy which normally follows from what i can compare as i have read up.

It seems the point of your experience is that next time, it makes more sense to take medical advice from your doctor instead of your friends. Hpoefully.

of course, and thanks. i slept great and woke up feeling completely fine. phenobarbital seems to be a very mild drug that should not be used for insomnia imo. ever.

FYI, it is not a "very mild drug" in higher doses.

I have to say, you are abusing medications anytime you take something that you don't have a prescription for. I believe that is against the Rules as well. You cannot self medicate or self prescribe medicines for yourself and talk openly about that.

Definitely next time, you talk to a Doctor and get a prescription for your medication. I don't take anything unless I have a prescription for it. It's important to be careful with medications, they are not for recreation or to get high from. That's abuse clear and simple.

I hope you are alright and have a happy holiday. Please be careful, OK?

Very true, and I agree, but I will add that almost all of us on this board who order from online services are self-medicating to one extent or the other, therefore, "abusing" medications.

Who died two yrs ago? I dont remeber that one? post the member name

I missed that one as well I supose....

I'm looking for a new sleep med but is phenobarbital or however it's spelled really prescribed for sleep problems specifically?

I've heard a lot of bad things about that medication and am too scared to take that even if prescribed.

OMG - pillar, which member died from pheno? and what narcotic did he/she mix it with? Please tell us, it will possibly prevent an accident for someone who already uses this medication.

Mixing barbiturates with benzos won't cause you to drown in vomit.....mixing them with alcohol can cause you to do that. Just read about what killed Jimi Hendrix. He toke Vesperax (secobarbital) pills with wine, and soon after while unconscious he had asphyxiated (literally drowned) in his own vomit.

That's strange, because I have taken phenobarbital with alcohol before and nothing bad has happened to me. Same with benzos, although I've never tried taking them together at once.

Barbs and benzos DO have a cross tolerance to each other. So that's probably the reason why your not feeling it's effects because pheno is one hell of a good sleep aid (at least for me - but barbs are my favorite choice of meds for insomnia anyway).

i figured a cross tolerance would exist as they both act on gaba...even if they are prone to different gaba sites, cns depressants for the most part would lead to a cross tolerance with continuous use, i would assume at least.

anyway i'm also looking for a different med to put me to sleep. i guess i will start a new thread or look up old threads on different medications i should discuss with my doctor.

the xanax is again losing its efficacy as of late and i know that my doctor will just increase it to 1.5 more than likely than give me a different med...that is not what i want and he knows that. doctors are just too funny, as we all know.

Roguewolf died on New Years Eve, from an OD. His wife hacked his account and announced it, to the board. Admin deleted the posts because he had an illegal street drug in his system, but I know that he regularly used phenobarbital too. I didn't mention the name before because I'm afraid it will disappear again. Like I said before, narcotics and barbituates don't mix.

thesyd, thcid, and Davot: how many times do we have to ban you? We do not welcome you... too much drama... and you only waiste your time and ours... find a board that welcomes you and stay there...

Pillar: you have no way of knowing why a post was, if it was, deleted... or if anyone hacked into an account or had access to it all the time... but you are right: ABUSING DRUGS CAN, AND DOES, KILL...