Hi and welcome to Healthcaremagic. I understand your concerns. Phenobarbital is a seizure medicine which is the oldest one used for seizures and there are newer medications with better efficiency. The advantages of phenobarbital are its long history of use, low cost, and effectiveness for grand mal epilepsy . It stays in the body for a long time, so the amount of medicine in the blood stays fairly steady even if it is taken only once a day. A disadvantage is that it makes many people sleepy and sometimes causes other changes in behavior. Not everyone is affected the same way, however, and many individuals do well when they take phenobarbital. Another problem is that after people take it for a while, they must be very careful if they want to stop taking it. They could have withdrawal seizures. I hope I have answered you query. Kindly regards. Wish you a good health.