phenobarbital / Generic mfg. - LARVOL DELTA

Clinical utility and tolerability of ketamine as adjunctive rescue therapy for refractory neonatal status epilepticus: a case report of a late preterm infant with multifocal hemorrhagic brain injury. (PubMed, Front Pediatr) - "Although phenobarbital remains the recommended first-line antiseizure medication (ASM), followed by agents such as phenytoin or levetiracetam, seizure control is not always achieved. Continuous EEG monitoring remains essential for evaluating treatment response. Prospective neonatal studies are needed to define the optimal timing, dosing strategies, efficacy, and long-term safety of ketamine in RNSE."

Journal • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Hematological Disorders • Vascular Neurology

Haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia following phenobarbital therapy for alcohol withdrawal. (PubMed, BMJ Case Rep) - "Following discontinuation of phenobarbital, haematologic parameters improved rapidly. This case highlights a probable instance of phenobarbital-associated haemolysis with thrombocytopenia and emphasises the importance of recognising DIIHA even in the absence of a positive antiglobulin test."

Journal • Anemia • Hematological Disorders • Thrombocytopenia • HP

PHENOBARBITAL EXPOSURE AND RISK OF RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED WITH ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL: A RETROSPECTIVE SAFETY ANALYSIS (CHEST 2026) - No abstract available

Retrospective data • Respiratory Diseases

PHENOBARBITAL VS BENZODIAZEPINES FOR SEVERE ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL: AN UPDATED SYSTEMATIC META-ANALYSIS OF RECENT LITERATURE (CHEST 2026) - No abstract available

Retrospective data • Critical care

PHENOBARBITAL IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER MORTALITY AND REDUCED MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL: A MULTICENTER REAL-WORLD STUDY (CHEST 2026) - No abstract available

Clinical • Real-world • Real-world evidence • Critical care

Longitudinal 1H NMR metabolomics of serum in a chronic temporal lobe epilepsy model reveals systemic metabolic remodeling. (PubMed, Front Mol Biosci) - "This study employed a longitudinal 1H NMR-based metabolomics approach to characterize the serum metabolic profile of a chronic pilocarpine-induced rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy. The convergence of the metabolic profiles of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant animals suggests that the systemic effects of chronic epilepsy and phenobarbital treatment dominate the serum metabolome, potentially masking subtle molecular signatures associated with drug resistance. Creatine represents a notable exception and warrants further investigation as a potential marker distinguishing responders from non-responders."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy

Electro-clinical efficacy and safety of midazolam in neonatal seizures: a systematic review with individual level exploratory analysis of gestational age-related treatment response. (PubMed, Eur J Pediatr) - "Midazolam may have a role as an add-on antiseizure medication in neonatal seizures, particularly in refractory cases. However, the evidence remains limited by heterogeneity in study design, EEG monitoring strategies, outcome definitions, and incomplete individual-level data. The observed association between gestational age and response is hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation."

Journal • Review • Anesthesia • CNS Disorders • Depression • Epilepsy • Hypotension • Psychiatry

Association Between Seizure Periodicity and Responsiveness to Intravenous Antiseizure Medications in Critically Ill Patients. (PubMed, J Clin Neurophysiol) - "Our preliminary findings suggest that greater seizure cycle was associated with reduced responsiveness to intravenous antiseizure medications."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy

Alterations of Telomere-Associated Genes and Underlying Mechanisms in Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. (PubMed, Neuropharmacology) - "The study systematically identified Telomere-DEGs in neonatal HIE, characterized the disease's inflammatory immune microenvironment, and predicted potential targeted therapeutic agents. SOCS3 upregulation in HIE was confirmed both in vivo and in vitro. In vitro mechanistic studies suggest that SOCS3 aggravates telomere damage and oxidative stress through NF-κB activation, leading to neuronal injury, thus providing experimental evidence for HIE mechanism research and targeted therapy."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Inflammation • SOCS3 • TERF2

Association between CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotypes and venlafaxine treatment failure: a retrospective study on two cohorts from Norway and the UK. (PubMed, Lancet Psychiatry) - "CYP2D6 PM status was consistently associated with increased risk of venlafaxine treatment failure in two large, real-life cohorts, suggesting that pre-emptive genotyping could facilitate personalised venlafaxine therapy."

Journal • Observational data • Retrospective data • CNS Disorders • Depression • Major Depressive Disorder • Psychiatry • CYP2C19

Recurrent Neurologic Signs After Hemodialysis for Phenobarbital and Zonisamide Intoxication in a Dog. (PubMed, J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio)) - "This is the first report documenting the occurrence of redistribution phenomenon in a patient undergoing extracorporeal removal of toxins. In addition, this is the first case report documenting the use of hemodialysis to treat zonisamide toxicosis."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy

Status Epilepticus and Lateralized Periodic Discharges (LPDs) in Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. (PubMed, Cureus) - "She was treated with midazolam and phenobarbital...The patient was placed on benzodiazepine and carbamazepine...Our case highlights the possibility of serious neurological manifestations, such as status epilepticus, following abrupt cannabis withdrawal, associated with the presence of lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs) on the EEG. This association is linked to a high risk of recurrent epileptic seizures and therefore requires the initiation of anticonvulsant treatment."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Mental Retardation • Psychiatry

Phenotypic features of paroxysmal dyskinesia in Dachshund dogs: 62 cases (2017-2025). (PubMed, J Vet Intern Med) - "Paroxysmal dyskinesia occurs in young Dachshunds. Shifting limb dystonia is a common feature, and it can affect the pelvic limbs exclusively, mimicking spinal cord disease. Most dogs experienced a decrease in numbers of events regardless of treatment."

Clinical • Journal • Observational data • Retrospective data • Ataxia • CNS Disorders • Dystonia • Movement Disorders

Case Report: Therapeutic plasma exchange for severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia with bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction in an adolescent with Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II. (PubMed, Front Pediatr) - "Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II (CNS-II) is a rare inherited disorder of bilirubin conjugation that typically responds to phenobarbital and is less frequently complicated by bilirubin neurotoxicity than CNS-I...Brain MRI obtained after TPE sessions demonstrate no Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy-pattern or basal ganglia involvement. This case supports consideration of TPE as a rescue strategy for severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia with neurologic dysfunction in older children with CNS-II when conventional measures are insufficient or impractical, while underscoring the need for standardized reporting of TPE protocols and longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Critical care • Genetic Disorders • Metabolic Disorders

Seizure after IDDS implantation - unrecognized intracranial hypertension associated with intracranial metastases: A case report. (PubMed, Medicine (Baltimore)) - "Unrecognized preoperative intracranial hypertension in patients with intracranial metastases significantly increases the risk of severe neurological complications after IDDS implantation. Reliance solely on the classic triad of intracranial hypertension is insufficient for preoperative screening. Pre-operative cranial imaging evaluation is strongly recommended for high-risk patients. Intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid loss should be strictly controlled to prevent abrupt changes in intracranial pressure. Clinicians should raise vigilance toward such life-threatening complications."

Journal • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Colorectal Cancer • Epilepsy • Hypertension • Oncology • Pain • Rectal Cancer • Solid Tumor

Behavioral and spectral electroencephalographic biomarkers of epileptogenesis, disease progression, and drug resistance in a longitudinal lithium-pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy. (PubMed, Exp Neurol) - "After the chronic phase, responsiveness to phenobarbital (PB), a standardized approach for DRE characterization, was assessed via video monitoring to identify drug-resistant (DRUG-R) and drug-sensitive (DRUG-S) subpopulations. Lastly, correlation analyses supported associations between EEG, frequency of seizures and behavioral measures, especially in the anxiety domain and declarative memory. This study, moving beyond a seizure-centric perspective, evidences that TLE induces progressive and phase-specific reorganization of cortical activity that relapse on distinct electrophysiological and behavioral features, offering a novel framework to identify translational stage-related signatures of epileptogenesis and DRE."

Biomarker • Journal • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Mood Disorders • Psychiatry

Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type II: A Case Complicated With Liver Cirrhosis (ACG 2026) - "Unlike Crigler-Najjar type I, which is associated with absent enzyme activity and life-threatening kernicterus, CN2 presents with a milder phenotype and typically responds to phenobarbital therapy...Figure: Image 1: Abdominal US: hepatic steatosis with no evidence of portal thrombosis. Figure: Image 2: Abdominal MRI which shows hepatic steatosis and mildly dilated CBD"

Clinical • Cardiovascular • Endocrine Disorders • Fibromyalgia • Fibrosis • Gastroenterology • Genetic Disorders • Hematological Disorders • Hepatitis C • Hepatology • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Liver Cirrhosis • Liver Failure • Metabolic Disorders • Musculoskeletal Pain • Thrombosis • UGT1A1

Seizures and blindness onset zone in 7 horses undergoing radiographic myelography in lateral recumbency under inhalation anesthesia. (PubMed, J Vet Intern Med) - "Contralateral focal facial motor seizures and blindness with an onset zone in the parietal and occipital cerebral cortex, respectively, ipsilateral to the side of recumbency are possible adverse effects with characteristic features in horses undergoing radiographic myelography in lateral recumbency. These signs are transient with full resolution of seizures within hours and up to 2 days for the blindness."

Journal • Retrospective data • Anesthesia • Ataxia • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Movement Disorders • Ophthalmology

qEEG and Functional Connectivity as a Translational Bridge Between Humans and Dogs in Epilepsy and Associated Disorders: From Spontaneous Model to Automatic Classification-An Integrative Review. (PubMed, Vet Sci) - "Dogs reproduced the human patterns closely: phenobarbital induced the spectral redistribution predicted by human pharmaco-EEG data, canine cognitive dysfunction reproduced the slowing and the sleep-architecture changes described in Alzheimer's disease, and a single machine-learning pipeline classified human and canine recordings with comparable accuracy...The evidence was limited by heterogeneous acquisition protocols, small samples and scarce longitudinal veterinary data. qEEG, and coherence in particular, appears to be a promising cross-species biomarker of network dysfunction and supports the dog as a translational platform, although standardized validation remains necessary."

Journal • Review • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Epilepsy • Vascular Neurology

Treatment patterns and access among people with epilepsy of childbearing potential in Peru. (PubMed, Front Neurol) - "ASMs were categorized according to pregnancy-associated safety profiles as Lower-risk (lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, clonazepam, diazepam), Intermediate-High risk (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, topiramate), and Highest-risk (valproic acid). These prescribing patterns likely reflect medication availability rather than clinical preference and highlight the challenges of implementing guideline-recommended epilepsy care in resource-constrained settings. Given the substantial burden of NCC-related epilepsy in this population, improving access to safer and more diverse ASM options may represent an important strategy for reducing treatment inequities among people with epilepsy of childbearing potential."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy

UGT1A1 gene polymorphisms and their impact on plasma trough concentrations of dolutegravir in Chinese adults with human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection. (PubMed, Chin Med J (Engl)) - "The frequencies of heterozygotes for UGT1A1*6, UGT1A1*28, and UGT1A1*60 were found to be high in the studied population. In addition to low body weight, the presence of UGT1A1*6 and compound heterozygosity of UGT1A1*6/*60 or UGT1A1*6/*28/*60 were significant factors contributing to elevated DTG trough concentrations."

Journal • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • UGT1A1

Phenobarbital Versus Benzodiazepine-Based Pathways for Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome in Critically Ill Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (PubMed, Pharmacotherapy) - "Although evidence remains very low certainty, these findings suggest that phenobarbital's role in ICU AWS may be pathway dependent. Front-loaded, protocolized phenobarbital-first pathways may be associated with favorable outcomes in exploratory analyses, but these findings should be considered hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in prospective randomized trials."

Clinical • Journal • Retrospective data • Review • Addiction (Opioid and Alcohol) • Critical care

Complex Medical Management with ECMO Following Suspected TCA Overdose (ASA 2026) - "She was intubated and treated with high‑dose lorazepam, phenobarbital, electrolyte replacement, and sodium bicarbonate. She developed MSSA pneumonia complicated by ARDS, requiring treatment with antibiotics, neuromuscular blockade, and inhaled nitric oxide. Persistent hemodynamic instability and refractory hypoxia prompted a transition to palliative care on day 19."

CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Infectious Disease • Metabolic Disorders • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases

Sedation Management in Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES): A Case Report of an 18-Year-Old Male (ASA 2026) - "Sedation proved challenging, requiring escalating midazolam, propofol, precedex, ketamine, and seroquel, complicated by benzodiazepine withdrawal and reintubation during weaning. A phenobarbital taper enabled successful weaning. This case guides ICU practitioners managing difficult sedation."

Case report • Clinical • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Hypertension • Infectious Disease • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases

Real-World Phenobarbital Use, Treatment Escalation, and Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: A Multicenter Propensity-Matched Cohort Study. (PubMed, Crit Care Explor) - "In a contemporary ICU cohort, phenobarbital use reflected treatment escalation in patients with more severe or refractory AWS. After adjustment, time to ICU and hospital discharge alive did not differ significantly, hypotension and intubation were similar, and aspiration was less frequent with phenobarbital. Future studies should define optimal timing, dosing, and patient selection."

Clinical data • Journal • Real-world evidence • Retrospective data • Critical care • Hypotension