Phenobarbital
Barbiturates and Derivatives
Sold as Donnatal · PHENOBARB · PHENOBARB ELIXIR
- Drug class
- Barbiturates and Derivatives
- Availability
- Prescription only
- Routes
- Oral
- Markets covered
- 3
- Products on record
- 49
- FDA reports (12 mo)
- 782
Overview
Phenobarbital is an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Barbiturates and Derivatives group (N03AA). The information below is compiled per regulator from the product labels on record, with direct links to the original documents.
Regulatory status by market
| Market | Regulator | Products | Last revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB United Kingdom | MHRA | 22 | May 15, 2026 |
| CA Canada | Health Canada | 14 | April 21, 2026 |
| US United States | FDA | 13 | April 17, 2026 |
GBUnited Kingdom· MHRA
22 products
Uses
As an anticonvulsant in the treatment of all forms of epilepsy except absence seizures.
How to take
CACanada· Health Canada
14 products
How to take
PHENOBARB
Tablets are administered orally.
Sedative:
Adults (≥18 years): 15 to 30 mg, 2 or 3 times a day. Children (<18 years): 2 mg/kg or 60 mg/m2 of body surface 3 times a day.
Hypnotic:
Adults (≥18 years): 100 to 200 mg at bedtime.
Anticonvulsant:
Adults (≥18 years): 50 to 100 mg, 2 or 3 times a day Children (<18 years): 15 to 50 mg, 2 or 3 times a day The usual adult dosage ranges from 30 to 600 mg daily. PHENOBARB ELIXIR is administered orally.
Sedative:
Adults (≥18 years): 4 to 8 mL, 2 or 3 times a day. DOSAGE FORMS, COMPOSITION AND PACKAGING Dosage Form and Strength Medicinal Ingredient Non-medicinal Ingredients Description and Packaging 15 mg tablets 15 mg phenobarbital USP gelatin, lactose monohydrate, maize starch, microcrystalline cellulose and stearic acid White, round, biconvex tablets which are debossed with ‘PH’ on one side and ‘15’, ‘30’, ‘60’ or ‘100’ on the other side.
USUnited States· FDA
13 products
Uses
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Sedative Anticonvulsant- For the treatment of generalized and partial seizures.
How to take
Drug interactions
Known interactions involving Phenobarbital. Select one for details. This list is informational and not a complete interaction checker.
Showing 240 of 600. Type above to find a specific drug.
Interaction data compiled from DDInter (academic, CC-BY). Severity classification only - this is not a complete interaction checker and not medical advice.
Sources & citations
- [1]MHRA (UK) · PL002406313 · revised April 22, 2025
- [2]Health Canada (DPD) · 00178799 · revised March 22, 2025
- [3]FDA DailyMed · 037c7532-7688-44… · revised January 5, 2022 [PDF]
- [4]OpenFDA adverse-event reports (US), 12 months ending June 4, 2026.
Information on this page is compiled from public regulatory records. Drugvu is not affiliated with any regulator or pharmaceutical manufacturer. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.