Barbiturates used to form a large part of the UK drug scene, but have become quite rare, mainly due to increased controls over prescribing and increased availability of Benzodiazepines.

Barbiturates were prescribed as a sedative, or in higher doses as a sleeping medication.

EFFECTS AND RISKS Barbiturates depress the central nervous system and produce similar effects to alcohol, makes the user drowsy, relaxed, but also clumsy, more prone to accidents - this increases with the dose. Some users can experience mental confusion, feelings of extreme emotion. Large overdoses cause death by respiratory failure (you stop breathing).

A real and grave danger with Barbiturates is death from overdose -the main reason for this is that the lethal dose is very close to the normal dose.

As with all drugs, the effects and risks are greatly magnified when taken with alcohol. In fact someone who is drunk on alcohol may die after taking just half the normally lethal dose of barbiturates.