Barbiturates

1. Long-acting. Phenobarbital is used to treat certain types of seizures (see section on antiepileptic drugs).
2. Intermediate-acting. Amobarbital, pentobarbital (occasionally used for sleep), secobarbital.
3. Short-acting. Hexobarbital, methohexital, thiopental—rarely used as IV anesthetics.

Methadone

Pharmacology and analgesic potency similar to morphine.

• Very effective following oral administration.
• Longer duration of action than morphine due to plasma protein binding (t1/2 approximately 25 hrs).
• Used in methadone maintenance programs for drug addicts and for opiate withdrawal. Opiate withdrawal is more prolonged but is less intense than it is following morphine or heroin.

Oxycodone  
About equal potency to morphine. Very effective orally.

It is combined with aspirin or acetaminophen for the treatment of moderate pain and is available orally

Oxycodone is a semisynthetic compound derived from thebaine, with agonist activity primarily at mu receptors.

Thiopental 

- A barbiturate that is generally used to induce anesthesia.
- The temporal course of effects from induction to recovery depends almost entirely upon progressive redistribution.
- Metabolic degradation or excretion during anesthesia is negligible, except in the case of methohexital.
- The barbiturates produce minimal analgesia.
- Respiratory depression may be pronounced.
- Cardiac output is reduced while total peripheral resistance is increased.
- It does not sensitize the heart to catecholamines.
- It may cause bronchiospasm, especially in asthmatics.
- It is contraindicated in acute intermittent porphyria.

Griseofulvin

• Griseofulvin is an antifungal drug. It is used both in animals and in humans, to treat ringworm infections of the skin and nails. It is derived from the mold Penicillium griseofulvum.
• It is administered orally.

Distal (Potassium Sparing) Diuretics

Agents:

spironolactone
triamterene

Mechanism of action

Inhibition of Na/K exchange at aldosterone dependent distal tubular site

Spironolactone - competes with aldosterone for regulatory site

Triamterene - decreases activity of pump directly
•    Either mechanism decreases potassium wasting
•    Either mechanism produces poor diuresis (when used alone)
o    relatively unimportant Na recovery site

Diurectic activity increased if:

•    sodium load (body) is high 
•    aldosterone concentrations are high 
•    sodium load (tubule) is high - secondary to diuresis

Other electrolytes unaffected

Toxicity

•    spironolactone may produce adrenal and sex hormone effects with LONG-TERM use
•    Both drugs may produce electrolyte imbalance