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Article: Barbiturates
- Article from:
- World of Forensic Science
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Barbiturates
The term barbiturate is a name given to a group of drugs that function by depressing the activity of the central nervous system. Their principal effect is to reduce stress and bring the user a feeling of calm. Often, this sedation can help someone fall asleep. This is why barbiturates are often termed sleeping pills.
Barbiturates were first made over a century ago by the Bayer laboratories in Germany. They take their name from barbital, which was the first barbiturate used medically, in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Aside from their stress relief, the nervous system alteration induced by barbiturates can also be beneficial in the management of diseases like
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