Placidyl 500mg (Top voted first)

I have had almost every kind of sedative-hypnotics prescribed to me (Including Doriden, Noludar, Seconal, and Placidyl). Placidyl has a funny, fruit-like odor and taste to it.It was an effective hypnotic for sleep and I didn't wake up with a headache or a "hangover". Placidyl took effect in about 15 minutes and lasted all night long. It not only acted as a hypnotic, but as a sedative too. Eli Lilly&Co. ceased distribution of this drug in the late 1990's.

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Placidyl was one of the most effective sleep aids ever made. Abbott was the company that discontinued it in 1999. If you took one 750 mg.. you were assured sleep in 15 min to 30 min. Yes it was abused........if you took it and tried to stay awake, you had facial numbness and euphoria. If taken properly, I see no way you could get addicted. The first night of treatment was most effective. Second night also effective. But by the third night it starts to lose its efficacy. You have to take more to produce the same effect. If you are too stupid to know you are becoming addicted, after 3 days then you deserve it. My Doctor used to give me a 10 day supply. And I would refill my prescription twice a month at most. Make no mistake, this is a powerful yet effective sleep medication. A shame they took it off the market. You would fall asleep within a half hour at most.

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Actually, Placidyl was one of the few hypnotics I took personally when it was available. However, with chronic insomnia, if the benzodiazepines and the Z-drugs (Ambien, Lunesta) dfn't work, there still is one barbiturate combination on the market, Tuinal 100mg (50mg of Seconal & 50mg of Amytal). I had serious insomnia during med school and Residencies, so we simply rotated the sleeping pills; generally every couple of weeks. The rule was once I needed the equivalent of 200mg of Seconal, we switched to Noludar-300, Placidyl 500mg-750mg, etc. There are no longer these choices. I have to prescribe doses of Ambien of 30mg along with Trazodone (Desyrel) 150-30mg for serious insomnia. Don't compare Xanax with any of the above; a more equal match would be between The Incredible Hulk and me, a 170#, 5'10" doctor. No benzodiazepine available and prescribed in maximum dose comes close to the hypnotic efficacy of I prescribed Placidyl in the smaller dose (I think it was a 100mg cap, but I wrote for #60 she could take 2 if necessary) because she fell asleep fine, but was awakening at odd hours. Placidyl worked quickly enough and didn't cause a drug hangover. Doriden was also an excellent hypnotic, but very nasty in overdose because OD'd patients can go into Grand Mal seizures along with the usual signs of barbiturate overdose. Every so often, I get a call from a former student who remembered that he saw me manage a Doriden overdose. My gut tells me I was lucky that I didn't lose one or more Doriden ODs. I tried to find the drug, now in Schedule II because my sister reacts paradoxically to barbiturates and hypnotic benzodiazepines. (Why Xanax works fine while one or two 0.25mg Halcion or 100-200mg of Tuinal cause her to act as if she just swallowed a handful of Adderall is a mystery to all her doctors, including me!) We couldn't find it anywhere. I tried promethazine (Phenergan - same stuff in the cough syrups) 25mg tabs (1 or 2 hs) and her regular shrink called and read me the Riot Act. I still think he got promethazine confused with chlorpromazine (Thorazine)! Fortunately, her insomnia resolved with a change of job from Executive Asst. DA to Division Head of the Criminal Division of a large, "white shoe" law firm and something like a 500% salary increase!

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Re: Dr Joey (# 3)

Dec 6 2012 Follow-up October of 2017

Reference your post back in the year 2012. Yes, I have had lifelong insomnia since the early 1970's. and, yes, as a general statement, the most potent, sleeping pills as mentioned in your post, are either no longer on the market, such as, Placidyl by Abbott Labs, removed in the year 1999. There is no other country either to procure this C-IV refillable in USA medication per the prestige Martindale, that covers 43 countries of the modern industrialized world. ISBN 978 0 85711 129 5

Also, Glutethimide, formerly known as "Doriden" made by Ciba.... USV, later, by Rorer, from the late 1950's/early 1960's until the first quarter of 1993, was, discontinued in the USA, when Rorer was merged with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, especially because our DEA, reclassified, the Doriden from a Schedule III, for decades, to a C-II, in November of 1991, thus cutting into, a consistent but fast rise in sales of Doriden in the late 1980's thru 1991.

Doriden was especially highly prescribed in the NE corridor from Maryland up to the Boston area, when it was suddenly pulled off the market. Most C-III newly reclassified C-II meds, historically receive a drop off in sales when this happens, rather, when any med is upgraded into a tighter DEA class. Doriden I liked, but the drug was abused by a significant minority of recreational abusers, that, caused the DEA to reclassify this really very old sedative, due to a few rotten apples, ruining it for the majority by combining the top selling Tylenol #4 that is APAP 325mg and 60 mg of Codeine plus a 500 mg of Doriden tablet, causing a rise in DAWN reports to ER rooms in the USA, due to the alleged heroin type of a euphoria, the drug abusers sought.

Doriden, was made in Eastern Europe under two different manufacturers until the end of the year 2006, (Egan and Terapia of Hungary and Romania), but, was pulled off of the market shelves by the year 2007, a full ten years ago !!! It was called tardyl and glutimide, in those eastern european countries.

Methaqualone was last made in Spain (2000/2001) and in Switzerland in 2007.

Seconal and Tuinal (formerly the gold standard along with now deleted capsule preparation of Nembutal by Abbott Labs) the former two drugs was sold to first, Ranbaxy, by Eli Lilly & Son,and has been a orphan drug ever since, it is still manufactured, but only in a 100 mg capsules, of each, and, IMHO, it is the tightest, meaning the most elusive, and very (now) expensive sedative to locate.

It is primarily, only prescribed for hospice, or for end of life issue patients, including some state prison systems, such as the state of Texas, and, such as the state of Oregon, which has, for those with terminal illiness or, a desire for a self assisted suicide for only Oregon residents who meet strict criteria, the sole manufacturer, has those two states as leading states that use the Seconal and Tuinal, among perhaps others. The new generation of much softer hypnotics, in the 1980's, practically caused all barbs, instant release, to not be prescribed any more, even with a DEA licensed Psychiatrist. Chloral Hydrate was available until very recently, as Somnote, a C-IV, but is rarely prescribed, like, the outrageously expensive, GHB, liquid, known as Xyrem by Jazz Pharmaceutical, a C-III, with unusually very tight restrictions, "more trouble than it is worth to me" Sodium Oxybate was effective for me for only about 2 hours, then I had to redose, carefully, as the therapeutic window is very narrow, from, taking too many spoonfuls, of this over glamorized drug, again, by the media, it used to be available in Austria, San Remo and the UK for $75.00 US per bottle as "Alcover" in 1990's, but since around 2003 it has been a C-III and runs about US $750.00 and a US 1,200.00 sleep study to get it!

New generation of meds to initially replace, Nembutal, sodium Amytal, Sodium Secobarbital, and the combo product, Tuinal were the following:

All forms of Methaqualone, rose to instant national popularity, from their first introduction in 1965, that, by the year 1972, Methaqualone, had risen to the #6 top selling tranquilizer, sedative, or hypnotic, (non barb), across the entire top 200 of all ethical pharmaceuticals with the exception of the #1 top seller in the year 1972, Roche Valium !!!

Examples: from 1972: of Methaqualone a non controlled substance, a/k/a ,,,a Schedule VI. with PRN refills allowed in my case I only needed a once a year visit to my University Psychiatrist, who would write me 100 tabs take one or two tabs per evening as needed and PRN on the refills, in my case I refilled my methaqualone 300 mg tablets about every 90 days, that was the initial RX plus three refills or even 4 refills within one calendar year.

Examples for the year 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975. Methqualone hci.

Optimil (Wallace Pharma) Parest (Parke Davis) offered even a 400 mg capsule upgrade Somnafac (Cooper Pharma) Somnafac (Fourte)

Methaqualone (not in the hci formulation) was the top selling of all versions called "Quaalude" by William H Rorer in 150 mg and 300 mg tablets embossed with the 300 mg tabs the famous "Rorer 714" After Oct 1978 mfg by Lemmon Pharma,

Sopor, the 2nd most popular, in the year 1972, behind, the tradename Quaalude, by Arnar Stone.

A combination stimulant with methaqualone was also offered by Pennwalt called Biphetamine-T which the "T" stood with Biphetamine with Tuazole, which was the patented name for methaqualone for Pennwalt Pharma.

The immense success of Methaqualone, and, was short lived, due to the DEA reclassifying all versions of methaqualone on July 1 of 1973 into a Schedule II by the year 1978, Methaqualone had been reduced, from a very high sales of prescriptions, to only 3 manufacturers, Rorer, Arnar Stone, and Parke Davis.

The drug got heavily abused, and due to that, the state of Florida and Oregon made Methaqualone a Schedule !, the DEA followed up with a C-I beginning in January of 1984.

Placidyl a Schedule IV, always, and, Doriden a Class III, Noludar a class III, gradually replaced, the robust sales of Nembutal, Seconal, and Tuinal, by the mid 1970's, as well as sodium Amytal, which the latter 4 barbs, were classified from a refillable C-III, to a C-II, when the Bureau of Narcotics and DDrugs, formed in 1970, passed multiple laws classifying drugs with addiction potential with a January 1 1972 ruling placing most amphetamines, into a C-II class, and more sedatives (Barbs) were classified, into a C-II with more laws passed in July of 1973, including a newly formed DEA, that banned the production of combination stimulants with a sedative in one pill or capsule, later, more laws the most controversial law was the re-classifying of top selling Roche Valium, from a non controlled substance, in many states a C-VI, allowing PRN refills, to a Fed law beginning July 1 of 1975 placing Roche Valium as a C-IV, along with other benzo's of the time such as Roche Librium. + all newer to come more benzo's like 1980's Xanax, and, Restoril, Ativan, etc, etc, etc.

Dexamyl was a exception, that survived until, the year 1982 when SKF, removed this diet pill combined dextroamphetamine with Amobarbital from the market.

A rarely prescribed barb, that is a refillable C-III that is still produced in the USA is the barbiturate Butisol !!! (Butabarbital sodium) made by Meda Pharmaceuticals of Middlesex New Jersey USA. It is offered in a 30 mg tab NDC 00037-0113-60 and a 50mg tab NDC 0037-0114-60, by Brand Name.

I only mention this to those with hard core lifetime insomnia, who may be those reading this post who miss the much stronger sedatives of the (now) long ago past. Butisol is not inexpensive, it has a FDA Orange Book rating of a very rare AA class in quality, and the average wholesale price about 5 years ago was in US dollars was #100 $245.71 and may not be on one's insurance formulary as it is not commonly prescribed anymore, but has been around for 40 or 50 years.

Butisol Sodium also comes in a liquid Elixyr, of 473 ml. bottle with 5 ml equals to 30 mg of Butisol Sodium, It is classified as a "intermediate acting barb" not a immediate acting barb such as Seconal, (Secobarbital Sodium) or Nembutal, (Sodium Pentobarbital). Thus for the softer DEA scheduling.

I have tried even (short term antipsychotics such as Seroquel, and no way, can I deal with the sedative overkill, of that popular anti-psychotic with heavy sedating effects and very powerful next day hangover !!! Traveling abroad, I have even taken, the benzodiazepine, flunitrazepam, 1 mg, and I was most cautious with my 30 pill Rx of one mg, and, it was similar to me to 4 x 0.25 mg of Pfizer Halcion, and was "not the knock out date rape drug the USA press claimed to be for me" likely due to my high tolerance to sedatives and benzo's, I needed, to redose in middle of the evening with 2 x 1 mg of Flunitrazepam (Roche Rohypnol, for a total of 4 tabs per evening for a restful sleep (More trouble than it was worth, out of USA, with a face to face hotel referred MD.) It is sparingly prescribed worldwide, due to the stigma due to USA abuse of this benzo, illegally imported into the USA in the 1990's, from Mexico.

It is a real shame that other countries of the modern industrialized world never produced Abbott Placidyl, (ethchlorvynol) which at one time came in the USA in 4 sizes, 100mg, 200mg, 500mg and 750 mg !!! A generic company may have offered Ethchlorvynoi for one year around the year 1999 or the year 2000, but the sales of Placidyl had been declining for many years, from their heyday, in the 1970's, due to the perception that the safer meds such as, the immensely popular USA Ambien, took over sales, from the short term leader Upjohn Halcion, (Triazolam) that IMHO media negative press, caused the sales to "nosedive" harshly, in the early 1990's. former President Bush Sr once was alleged to take Halcion when it was so popular in the late 1980's.

Believe me, I have sampled nearly all of the "new age safer hypnotics" for my chronic insomnia, including 17 years use of titrating Sanofi Ambien (Stillnox), generic is Zolpidem tartrate, Lunestra, Dalmane, Restoril, lots and lots of Pfizer Halcion, and even ten years of my awful experience with the off label prescribing of the antidepressent Trazodone for my insomnia, I did not like due to the next day side effects and, it contributing by a panel of dental surgeons, to my Periodontal Disease, as Trazodone is very popularly prescribed because it it not a DEA controlled substance, and has strong sedating properties, and side effects, like dry mouth and a punch drunk non euphoric hangover very AM.

For me, this is just one opinion not advice by no means due to tolerance issues with decades of use of formerly effective drugs no longer available or affordable anymore, a dose of one Butisol 30 mg with one Restoril, 30 mg capsule, taken at bedtime, is the best sedative, I can work with in "today's world". The Restoril I have built up a tolerance to and alone does not put me to sleep nor does any more of the "Z" hypnotics, like Zolpidem or Zolpiclone, (Europe) or Eszopiclone "Lunesta".

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I need help as soon as possible! I have been a chronic pain sufferer for the past 12 years and recently found that my chronic back pain has started giving me bouts of moderate, to severe depression, often times severe anxiety, and worse yet: very bad INSOMNIA. I sought the help of a Psychologist and Psychiatrist because I lack the coping skills to deal with all of this. It would require an estimated total of 6-9 separate risky surgeries, and I don't like the odds against full, or partial paralysis I've been given by the 5 neurosurgeons I've consulted with. My pain management Dr has been tapering me off the high dosage of morphine I've been on for many yrs, and am now down to 1 60 mg, 1 30 mg, 1 15 mg, w/ 4-6 Norco's for the breakthrough pain. I know I'm not supposed to mix xanax w/ the opioids but I have an Rx of 1 mg's that I take when the anxiety is bad. I'm taking 300 mg of Effexor daily for the depression, but need to find a strong, but safe Med for my terrible insomnia-i was up for 46 hrs straight last week, and only average 1-2 hrs of sleep a night. I don't drink coffee or alcohol, and I don't smoke. I NEED to find something STRONG enough to allow me the R.E.M. sleep I'm lacking before I lose my mind! PLEASE-does anyone have an idea on what I can safely take? Seriously hurting, and sleep deprived.

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Re: rc (# 10)

Bring placidyl back, please, it made me normal. I love it.

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If it was discontinued, there isn't much you can do about it.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Placidyl/­

Are you currently trying anything else?

Have you tried any of the Benzodiazepine class of medications, such as Xanax?

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Xanax/­

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I think you meant 500 mg Amytal- it doesn't come in 50 mg dosage.

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I was offered 1mg and 2mg Abbot pharma xanax does any one know if this pharma make them please..

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Re: Jimmy (# 6)

The Xanax is causing the anxiety. Yeah, go figure. It causes your brain to stop making the natural drugs that stop anxiety. Run for your life..get off benzodiazepines..they rob you of your peace for life if you take them too long.

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Re: dorothy van duyne (# 4)

When Tuinal was still made the 100 mg. capsules contained 50 mg Seconal, and 50 mg of Amytal. The Seconal put you to sleep fast and the Amytal made sure that you stayed asleep until it was time to wake up.

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Re: Ridgerunner007 (# 7)

You are one of the most well versed individuals I have ever met in the realm or prescription meds. I use painkillers for my neck and am still searching as my neck has deteriorated over the years and is now looking like if the surgery is not redone I will be paralyzed. I was researching information on Elvis and I came across what you wrote. I am so sorry for the issues you are facing. You seem to be a very intelligent person and I wish you the best in your walk of life!

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They were discontinued by Abbott in '99, I was getting the 750 Mg green ones. They don't make anything good anymore. Benzodiazepines have replaced all of the good ones like Tuinal, Nembutal and Seconal. However my favorite was Doriden (Glutethimide) which the FDA and DEA practically forced the one remaining company that still made them, Halsey to halt production and made it a schedule 1 substance with a ridiculously low production quota. Doriden and codeine were the best. Placidyl was used by Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist and had to be hospitalized for detox. Elvis Presley and Steven Tyler liked Placidyl too. But nothing could hold a candle to Doriden and codeine.

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Re: dorothy van duyne (# 4)

Amytal came in 50 mg dosage at one time. 500 mg of Amytal (Amobarbital) would be lethal.

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Re: Ridgerunner007 (# 7)

Doriden was the best. Also when it was available in Eastern Europe there was a combination medication called Tardyl, 125 Mg of Amobarbital, 125 Mg of Glutethimide, and 50 Mg of Promethazine! Overkill to say the least. And yes Glutethimide was available until 2006 when Terapia was purchased by Ranbaxy IIRC, and they discontinued all of the low sellers. Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary were the countries. Glutethimide and Codeine was pure long lasting euphoric bliss. Placidyl put you to sleep but didn't produce euphoria. There is science behind the combination of Doriden and Codeine beginning with the inducement of a liver enzyme. Anyway, finding any would be like finding the holy grail.

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Re: Ridgerunner007 (# 7)

Even if Doriden and codeine were not abused it would have been discontinued eventually because it was obsolete and rather unsafe compared to the benzodiazepines and z drugs of today. When it was made a schedule 2 controlled substance Halsey sent a representative to the meeting who said that they would be willing to keep manufacturing Glutethimide even if it was made a schedule 2. However the production quota was set at 3 grams, enough for 6 tablets! SMH

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Re: Ridgerunner007 (# 7)

Tuinal was never sold to Ranbaxy by Lilly, only Seconal. Tuinal generics were made by Flynn Pharmaceutical of Ireland for a while. With the short and intermediate acting barbs the therapeutic dose is not too far off from the lethal dose. Seconal besides being dirt cheap is exploited by the current marketer Valleant (There was Ohm, and Marathon too, but probably all the same company) who prices it at about $3,000 US for 20-30 capsules. They literally take pennys to manufacture, when I got prescribed some in the mid nineties they cost about $10.00 US for 30 capsules. They are used for euthanasia. And they are very hard to get. I heard they were a dime a dozen back in the heyday.

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Re: Ridgerunner007 (# 7)

Placidyl was never available in 100 mg strength. 200, 500, and 750 mg strengths only. The bad thing about Placidyl was after about a couple of weeks of taking it therapeutically it would stop working and you would have to increase the dose. That's what the 200 mg red balls were for. Also the bad thing about the short and intermediate acting barbs was the therapeutic dose wasn't too far off from the lethal dose. But I must say that Doriden and codeine were the best.

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