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What Are The Side Effects Of Sodium Pentothal?

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Posted on Sat, 11 Apr 2015
Question: What kind of side affects does sodium pentathol (administered by an oral surgeon) have on the body and Mind?
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Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (18 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
It can cause inability to recall events just before the time of injection

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

I have read through your query in detail.
Sodium pentothal is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate that might have been used as an anesthetic administered by the intravenous route when you were being treated by the oral surgeon many years back.

Being a short duration acting agent, it does not stay for long in the body. It is an ultra short acting depressant of the central nervous system that induces sleepiness, hypnosis and anesthesia, but not analgesia. It produces hypnosis within 30 to 40 seconds of intravenous injection. Recovery after a small dose is rapid, with some somnolence and retrograde amnesia and inability to recall events that happened immediately or preceding the pentothal injection.

The half life of the elimination phase after a single intravenous dose is three to eight hours and after a day following injection most of the medication is cleared out of the system.

There are no long term effects on the mind or body after a single dose of pentothal injection.

Hope this answers your question. Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Vivek Chail (5 hours later)
It produces horrible sensations to the sense of hearing upon the patient returning to consciousness, ringing, screeching, bells ringing like courier and ives, train screeching on the tracks
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
These symptoms are explainable due to pentothal

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXX,
Thanks for writing back with an update.

Indeed, you are right. The effect is primarily on the central nervous system, brain and mind. This is an ultra short acting medication and instantaneously produces a state of sleepiness and confusion in the patient. It can be said that when the patient wakes up, they find it horrible and difficult to relate to their surroundings. Ringing, screeching, bell, train on tracks are possible thoughts that might come to the mind at that time and it is beyond their control. These usually differ in each patient and it is difficult to say that two patients given pentothal will have similar thought process during and when coming out from the effects of medication.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Vivek Chail

Radiologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 6874 Questions

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What Are The Side Effects Of Sodium Pentothal?

Brief Answer: It can cause inability to recall events just before the time of injection Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXX, Thanks for writing in to us. I have read through your query in detail. Sodium pentothal is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate that might have been used as an anesthetic administered by the intravenous route when you were being treated by the oral surgeon many years back. Being a short duration acting agent, it does not stay for long in the body. It is an ultra short acting depressant of the central nervous system that induces sleepiness, hypnosis and anesthesia, but not analgesia. It produces hypnosis within 30 to 40 seconds of intravenous injection. Recovery after a small dose is rapid, with some somnolence and retrograde amnesia and inability to recall events that happened immediately or preceding the pentothal injection. The half life of the elimination phase after a single intravenous dose is three to eight hours and after a day following injection most of the medication is cleared out of the system. There are no long term effects on the mind or body after a single dose of pentothal injection. Hope this answers your question. Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements. Hope your query is answered. Do write back if you have any doubts. Regards, Dr.Vivek