Phenobarbital: An Effective Medication for Seizure Disorder Management

Abstract

Institutional Affiliation: Phenobarbital as a Medication for Seizure Disorder Seizures are caused by epilepsy, a central nervous system disorder that can affect males and females of all gender and ethnic backgrounds. The symptoms of seizures vary widely and affect the need to seek treatment depending on the potential implications the disorder has on the individual and other people. Most people with seizures experience one or more of the symptoms including loss of consciousness, psychic episodes, starring for a period of time, and temporary confusion (Thibault et al., 2020). The complications associated with seizures may demand that a patient seeks medical care including the risk of falling, causing car accidents, complications in pregnancy, or drowning when bathing or swimming. While some epilepsy patients experience seizures rarely, others have symptoms exceeding five minutes and occurring more frequently. When seizures last over a long period of time and affect the patient’s breathing, they may need to see a doctor and receive medication for the condition. Phenobarbital is one of the drugs that doctors may prescribe to patients with seizures. Since seizures affect the capacity of individuals to conduct their day to day activities, the goal of medical treatment is to control and reduce them to reduce the risk of self-harm and injury to other people. Phenobarbital works by controlling the electric activities of the rain to reduce abnormal events causing the seizures (Güngör et al., 2018). The drug has a long half-life which makes it effective even when consumed once a day usually at bedtime. As a barbiturate, the drug acts as a depressant for the brain and lowers the risk of an individual having abnormal activities that are linked to seizures. Phenobarbital controls the part of the brain that allows people to stay...