What Is Butabarbital? Uses, Dosage, and What You Need to Know in 2026

Butabarbital is a prescription barbiturate medication historically used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and as a pre-surgical sedative. It was most widely known under the brand name Butisol Sodium. While it was once a common prescription, both the brand name and generic versions have been commercially discontinued in the United States — meaning it is no longer available at standard retail pharmacies.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of what Butabarbital is, what it was used for, how it was dosed, and what you need to know about its current status in 2026.

What Is Butabarbital?

Butabarbital (also known as secbutabarbital) is a member of the barbiturate drug class — central nervous system (CNS) depressants that work by slowing brain activity. Specifically, Butabarbital enhances the effects of GABA, the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter, resulting in sedation, anxiolysis (anxiety relief), and at higher doses, sleep induction.

It is classified by the DEA as a Schedule III controlled substance, reflecting its moderate potential for physical and psychological dependence — higher than Schedule IV medications like benzodiazepines or Z-drugs, but lower than Schedule II substances like oxycodone.

Butabarbital was sold under several brand names over the years, including Butisol Sodium (the most recent), Butabarb, Butalan, Buticaps, and Sarisol. It was also available in combination with belladonna alkaloids under the brand name Butibel, used as an antispasmodic for gastrointestinal conditions.

What Is Butabarbital Used For?

The FDA-approved indications for Butabarbital include:

• Short-term treatment of insomnia: Butabarbital helps people fall asleep and stay asleep, but its use for insomnia should be limited to approximately 2 weeks. After this period, the drug loses its effectiveness as tolerance develops.
• Daytime anxiety and sedation: At lower doses (15–30 mg, 3–4 times daily), Butabarbital was used as a daytime sedative and anxiolytic.
• Preoperative sedation: A single dose of 50–100 mg taken 60–90 minutes before surgery was used to calm patients and reduce pre-procedural anxiety.

Butabarbital Dosage: What Was Prescribed?

Standard adult doses of Butabarbital were:

• Daytime sedative: 15–30 mg taken 3 to 4 times daily
• Bedtime hypnotic (insomnia): 50–100 mg taken at bedtime
• Preoperative sedation (adults): 50–100 mg orally, 60–90 minutes before surgery
• Preoperative sedation (pediatric): 2–6 mg/kg body weight, with a maximum of 100 mg

Reduced doses were recommended for elderly patients, those with liver disease, and those with impaired kidney function. Elderly patients are generally more sensitive to barbiturates and at higher risk of falls, paradoxical excitement, and over-sedation.

Dosage Forms Available

Butabarbital was available in the following commercial forms (all now discontinued):

• Tablets: 30 mg and 50 mg (Butisol Sodium)
• Oral solution: 30 mg per 5 mL (with 7% alcohol by volume)

Compounding pharmacies today may prepare Butabarbital in capsule, tablet, or liquid form depending on their capabilities.

How Does Butabarbital Work?

Butabarbital is a non-selective CNS depressant. It primarily works by binding to GABA-A receptors in the brain — specifically to a site associated with chloride ion channels. When Butabarbital binds, the chloride channel stays open longer than normal, which increases the flow of chloride ions into the neuron. This hyperpolarizes the neuron, making it less likely to fire — the end result is widespread CNS inhibition, producing sedation and sleep.

Butabarbital also interferes with transmission of impulses from the thalamus to the cortex, disrupting the brain's normal arousal systems. This dual mechanism makes it particularly effective as a sedative — but also more broadly suppressive than more selective medications like the Z-drugs.

Who Should NOT Take Butabarbital?

Butabarbital is contraindicated in patients with:

• Known hypersensitivity to barbiturates
• History of porphyria (manifest or latent)
• Severe respiratory disease
• Pregnancy — can cause withdrawal symptoms or seizures in the newborn
• History of suicidal ideation or severe depression (barbiturates are CNS depressants that can worsen these conditions)

Current Availability in 2026

Butabarbital is commercially discontinued in the United States. Standard retail pharmacies cannot fill prescriptions for it. The only available source is compounding pharmacies, which can prepare it from raw pharmaceutical ingredients with a valid prescription. For more on availability, see: Why Is Butabarbital So Hard to Find? [Explained for 2026].

If you have been prescribed Butabarbital and cannot find it, medfinder can call pharmacies in your area to find which ones can fill your prescription. You provide your medication, dose, and location — medfinder does the rest.