Barbiturates - Usage Trends

Usage Trends

Reactions to barbiturates range from mild sedation to coma and even death. Doctors may prescribe barbiturates as sedatives to calm patients' nerves, reduce tension, or help them sleep. The drugs are also used as an anticonvulsant to control epileptic seizures. The sleep-producing action of barbiturates is used to relax and partially anesthetize patients before some surgical procedures.

At the close of the twentieth century, the DEA reported that barbiturates represented about 20 percent of all depressant prescriptions in the United States.

The "Death with Dignity" Debate

The use of barbiturates in assisted suicides in Oregon has fueled a storm of controversy throughout the United States. In 1997 Oregon became the only state in the nation to permit assisted suicide. Oregon voters approved the Death with Dignity Act, allowing doctors to prescribe lethal doses of barbiturates, most often secobarbital, to terminally ill people.

The terms of the act defined terminally ill people as those individuals estimated to have fewer than six months to live. That diagnosis had to be verified by two physicians, who would also determine whether the terminally ill person was competent to make such a decision. "During the six years since the Oregon law took effect," wrote Jim Barnett in a 2004 article for the

Oregonian, "171 Oregonians have died by doctorassisted suicide."

The administration of President George W. Bush has fought against the Death with Dignity Act since 2001. Opponents of the assisted suicide law argue that the state of Oregon is breaking federal laws that govern the use of controlled substances. However, supporters of the Death with Dignity law believe that it represents the will of the people—the voters of Oregon. They contend that the act treats the terminally ill with compassion and dignity by allowing them the right to end their lives humanely. As of mid-2005, the U.S. Supreme Court had not ruled on the issue of assisted suicide in Oregon.

Barbiturate Use Down Since the Mid-1980s, Says SAMHSA

Recent surveys of illicitUnlawful. drug abuse showed a sharp decline in barbiturate abuse since the mid-1980s. The National Survey on Drug

In 1997 Oregon became the only state in the nation to allow assisted suicide. Under the Death with Dignity Act, terminally ill people with less than six months to live can choose to end their lives. During his stint as attorney general of the U
In 1997 Oregon became the only state in the nation to allow assisted suicide. Under the Death with Dignity Act, terminally ill people with less than six months to live can choose to end their lives. During his stint as attorney general of the United States, John Ashcroft challenged the Oregon law in court, but lost. AP/Wide World Photos.

Use and Health (NSDUH), formerly known as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, is a carefully calculated assessment of American drug use. It is conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and obtains information on nine different categories of illicit drug use. As of 2005, the latest results available were from the 2003 survey. All of the respondents to the survey were over the age of twelve. They were asked to report "only uses of drugs that were not prescribed for them or drugs they took only for the experience or feeling they caused." Over-the-counter drugs and legitimate uses of prescription drugs were not included.

According to the 2003 NSDUH summary, prescription-type sedatives were placed in a category called "psychotherapeutic drugs." This category also included tranquilizersDrugs such as Valium and Librium that treat anxiety; also called benzodiazepines (pronounced ben-zoh-die-AZ-uhpeens)., pain relievers, and stimulants. About 300,000 Americans over the age of twelve reported using sedatives without a prescription. The authors of the survey noted that "the number of first-time sedative users rose steadily during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and then declined during the early 1980s, remaining below 250,000 per year since 1984." The 2003 estimates were all similar to the corresponding estimates for 2002.

Monitoring the Future Results

The results of the 2004 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study were released to the public on December 21, 2004. Conducted by the University of Michigan (U of M), it was sponsored by research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Like the NSDUH results regarding sedative use from 2002 and 2003, the MTF survey results indicate that barbiturate use among twelfth-grade students held steady between 2003 and 2004.