Pentobarbital

Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies.^[3] It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but has been largely replaced by the benzodiazepine family of drugs.

In high doses, pentobarbital causes death by respiratory arrest. It is used for veterinary euthanasia and is used by some US states and the United States federal government for executions of convicted criminals by lethal injection.^[4] In some countries and states, it is also used for physician-assisted suicide.^[5][6]

Pentobarbital was widely abused beginning in the late 1930s and sometimes known as “yellow jackets” due to the yellow color of Nembutal-branded capsules.