Legal Issues That Pertain To The Drug And It’s Use Or Abuse

Legal Issues That Pertain To The Drug And It’s Use Or Abuse 

           Phenobarbital is a drug that is used to treat epilepsy and prevent seizures.People chose to use Phenobarbital because it is relatively cheap to produce and that has a positive impact on the price. In fact according to the International Drug Price Indicator Guide, a packet of 1,000 tablets with a dose of 100 mg can cost anywhere from $4.82 to $9.58. To get a better idea of how cheap this drug is we can compare it to Carbamazepine. Carbamazepine is a drug that is also used to teat epilepsy; in fact most scientists say that both drugs are almost identical. What do these drugs have that make them different? The answer lies in the price. A packet of 1,000 Carbamazepine tablets of 100 mg costs $9.25 to $15.03. Most people would say that there isn’t much of a difference in the price but the reality is another. It is important to realize that there are people who are poor and need this medication and if they can limited resources for medications they will chose the cheaper one because they can afford it. The price difference in reality is a matter of life and death: whether one person can afford it and live or not afford it and die.

           A big misconception is that phenobarbital is the most popular because of its effectiveness. This was true…in the 1950’s and in the 1960’s, in fact now a days with our modern technology we are able to produce even more effective drugs that unfortunately more expensive.

           Unfortunately, like many drugs, phenobarbital can be abused. What is drug abuse? Drug abuse is when someone does not follow the doctor’s directions on how and when to take the drug. Phenobarbital abuse is sometimes compared to alcohol intoxication since they share some of the same symptoms: slurred speech, confusion, poor judgment, irritability, insomnia and somatic complaints. However the previous stated symptoms is only when there is a little abuse of phenobarbital. When people overdoes on phenobarbital in great amounts then it can be lethal. Once a person is dependent of phenobarbital there are some characteristics we must be on the look out. The first characteristic is to obviously want to continue taking the drug; the second characteristic is the tendency to increase the does and the frequency of the drug. The last characteristic of phenobarbital dependence is when a person needs to consume the drug in order to maintain calm and relaxed. When we have reached the point of phenobarbital dependence the only way to deal with the problem is phenobarbital GRADUAL withdrawal. For a gradual withdrawal it is normal to see some reactions, such as: anxiety, muscle twitching, tremor if hands, weakness, dizziness, distortion in vision, nausea, vomiting and insomnia. However sometimes complete withdrawal is chosen over gradual withdrawal and the reactions are the same along with convulsions and delirium. It is also important to also note that not everyone is the same and the symptoms and reactions may not all be displayed.

-Alejandro

For More Information:

http://www.rxlist.com/phenobarbital-drug/side-effects-interactions.htm

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/epi.12026/asset/epi12026.pdf;jsessionid=51A831602CB0FD47F6F74D637AD8D17D.f04t02?v=1&t=i8bv58ji&s=80951d3c3c36d4aae47350998fd20a14190ce679