sodium penethal?

If sodium penethal dosn't work and is a movie myth,then why do the CIA,FBI etc. use singular their dr. and have family standing by to make sure no financial guarantee has be breached by any one? Sodium pentothal does not work as a "truth serum". I gave a great deal of it as an anesthesiologist before a better drug come out. If you give small amounts of it, some associates lose their inhibitions, but what they say may or may not be truthful.
There are other drugs that could be given to solid a person and try to extract information, I suppose. Again, though, what is said may be total fiction.
I once have a patient who, while sedated, told a long and invoved story just about his "coon dog". After the operation, we asked him about it, and he denied ever have a coon dog. Made the whole point up, but it was completely convincing.
We do have drugs that are amnestics - they produce you forget (or not form memories of events while under the influence, I'm not sure which it is). I could fathom out why the CIA and FBI might not want their people lower than the influence of these drugs.
Hope that helps.
First, swot up to spell.
Second, it helps, sometimes, but zilch is guaranteed, yet.
sodium pentathol