The speed of onset and potency of althesin.

The speed of onset of anaesthesia with Althesin has been compared with that of other intravenous anaesthetics. Like thiopentone, Althesin appears to be a truly rapidly acting drug, producing sleep in one arm-brain circulation time. The relative potencies of the drugs studied were approximately Althesin 60 mulitre/kg equivalent to thiopentone 4 mg/kg, equivalent to methohexitone 1.2 mg/kg, although by some criteria Althesin 80 mulitre/kg is required to produce an effect equivalent to thiopentone 4 mg/kg.