Mysoline is the brand name of the barbiturate primidone, which is an analog of the extremely potent barbiturate phenobarbital. While barbiturates like Mysoline were once widely used to treat the symptoms of epilepsy, insomnia, and anxiety, they eventually largely fell out of use due to the many harmful effects caused by just taking the drug as prescribed.
The other major issue with barbiturates is that they are extremely addictive and have a very high risk of abuse. However, they are still sometimes used by doctors to treat patients who are resistant to other medications, with Mysoline serving as a last resort.
Although their use is strictly confined to medical settings, barbiturates can still be found on the black market and even purchased on the internet, which means that they are still a prime target for abuse.
How Does Mysoline Work?
As a barbiturate, Mysoline works similarly to other depressants like benzodiazepines and alcohol, slowing down the central nervous system by boosting the levels of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is responsible for managing the body’s response to fear, anxiety, and stress by blocking nerve signals carrying those feelings from reaching the brain.
Mysoline mimics the naturally-produced GABA to bind with the brain’s GABA receptors and activate them, flooding the brain and central nervous system with GABA and slowing everything down to create strong feelings of relaxation and sedation.
What are the Signs of Mysoline Addiction?
People are often surprised at how difficult identifying the signs of Mysoline abuse and early addiction can be. Taken all together, someone’s growing Mysoline dependence can appear obvious in hindsight, but if you’re not looking for these clues, they can be easy to miss as they happen.
It’s possible that the person who is abusing Mysoline may not realize that they have slipped from misuse to abuse and are heading towards addiction until it is too late and the consequences have become too serious to go unnoticed.
Things to look for that can act as clues of a growing addiction to Mysoline are the physical and mental side-effects that come with long-term, regular abuse of the drug, including:
- Depression
- Sudden mood swings
- Dizziness
- Increase in heart problems
- Frequent respiratory issues
- Periods of confusion
- Chronic drowsiness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Impaired motor skills and coordination
- Liver damage
The most significant sign that marks the transition from abuse to addiction is the loss of control and compulsive use of Mysoline. When someone is addicted to Mysoline, having and using the drug becomes the main motivation behind their decisions and actions. It becomes more important than work, school, friends or family.
This addiction will generally manifest in the form of behaviors commonly associated with substance use disorders in general, becoming more obvious and potentially damaging over time.
These Signs of Mysoline Addiction Include:
- Increased tolerance
- Experiencing cravings and withdrawal
- Taking it in larger doses or more often
- Taking Mysoline without a prescription
- Forging prescriptions for Mysoline
- Taking money or valuables to obtain it illegally
- Becoming increasingly withdrawn and isolated
- Trying to hide or lie about using Mysoline
- Inability to feel “normal” without Mysoline
- Unable to stop using Mysoline
Whether you have observed these signs in someone you care about or are experiencing them yourself, what’s important is that you do not delay in seeking out professional addiction treatment as soon as you can to avoid further physical and mental damage as well as the chance of an overdose.
What is Involved in Mysoline Addiction Treatment?
While most addiction treatment starts with medical detox, the process of flushing drugs and alcohol from a person’s system to achieve sobriety, it is especially critical that Mysoline addiction treatment begins with this critical first phase of addiction recovery.
The reason for this is that Mysoline is a barbiturate and barbiturate withdrawal, much like benzodiazepine withdrawal, can be extremely dangerous, with unpredictable, potentially life-threatening symptoms.
No one should ever attempt to detox from Mysoline without some level of professional medical intervention, as possible symptoms such as seizures, delirium, hallucinations, and memory loss can create a multitude of unnecessary health risks.
When detox has been completed, and Mysoline withdrawal has run its course, the next stage of treatment is to enter long-term care in an addiction rehabilitation program. If someone does not follow up detox with addiction therapy, there is an extremely high likelihood of relapse, sometimes within just a couple weeks.
In an addiction recovery program, a client can choose between inpatient and outpatient treatment, which both have several subtypes that vary in levels of intensity, depending on how much support someone needs to be successful in their recovery.
If a client has a severe addiction to Mysoline or a history of addiction and relapse, an inpatient program, which involves living on-site at a treatment center, removed from everyday life, may be the best option. Learn more – addiction treatment
On the other hand, if someone is still in the early stages of Mysoline addiction or has a strong outside support system, they may not require the more intensive level of care in an inpatient program. With outpatient treatment, they can continue to live at home and keep their normal schedule while also regularly attending therapy sessions and medical check-ins at an addiction treatment facility.
A treatment program will use different therapies that will have been customized to fit a client’s needs, such as behavioral therapy, stress management, group counseling, and dual-diagnosis treatment. These will help clients better understand the issues at the root of their addiction as well as giving them positive coping skills and tools to manage their addictive behaviors and stay sober in the long-term.
How Dangerous is Mysoline?
The reason Mysoline and other barbiturates are no longer used nearly as much as previous decades is they are so dangerous to the point where even just taking them as prescribed can have all kinds of negative health consequences. When abused, Mysoline can cause serious complications, such as:
- Heart problems that can lead to heart disease
- Osteoporosis and other bone damage
- Blackouts and memory loss
There Also is the Risk of Overdose, the Symptoms of Which Include:
- Slowed reflexes
- Slurred speech
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of muscle control
- Dilated pupils
- Weak pulse
- Coma
- Slipping in and out of consciousness
A Mysoline overdose can easily prove fatal due to complications from heart, liver or kidney failure, as well as an excess of fluid in the lungs. If someone is exhibiting the symptoms of a Mysoline overdose, it essential that they get medical attention as soon as possible to avoid death or otherwise permanent health issues.
Mysoline Abuse Statistics
- By 2000, Mysoline was only prescribed to patients in the U.S. who had already tried all other anticonvulsants available and was not a candidate for surgery.
- Roughly 1 in 10 barbiturate-related overdoses is fatal, typically as a result of complications in the heart or lungs.
- Although they are no longer prescribed nearly as often, the U.S. still produces about 300 tons of barbiturates, including Mysoline, annually.
