27 Facts About Diazepam

1.

Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic.

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2.

Diazepam is mainly used to treat anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks and symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal.

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3.

Diazepam is the most commonly used benzodiazepine for "tapering" benzodiazepine dependence due to the drug's comparatively long half-life, allowing for more efficient dose reduction.

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4.

Diazepam gel was better than placebo gel in reducing the risk of non-cessation of seizures.

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5.

Diazepam is rarely used for the long-term treatment of epilepsy because tolerance to its anticonvulsant effects usually develops within six to 12 months of treatment, effectively rendering it useless for that purpose.

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6.

Diazepam is used for the emergency treatment of eclampsia, when IV magnesium sulfate and blood-pressure control measures have failed.

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7.

Diazepam is marketed in over 500 brands throughout the world.

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8.

Diazepam has a range of side effects common to most benzodiazepines, including:.

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9.

Diazepam is therefore only recommended for short-term therapy at the lowest possible dose owing to risks of severe withdrawal problems from low doses even after gradual reduction.

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10.

Diazepam is a good choice for tapering for those using high doses of other benzodiazepines since it has a long half-life thus withdrawal symptoms are tolerable.

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11.

Diazepam is not the only drug to target these GABAA receptors.

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12.

Diazepam appears to act on areas of the limbic system, thalamus, and hypothalamus, inducing anxiolytic effects.

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13.

Diazepam can be administered orally, intravenously, intramuscularly, or as a suppository.

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14.

Diazepam is highly lipid-soluble, and is widely distributed throughout the body after administration.

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15.

Diazepam is stored preferentially in some organs, including the heart.

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16.

Diazepam undergoes oxidative metabolism by demethylation, hydroxylation and glucuronidation in the liver as part of the cytochrome P450 enzyme system.

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17.

Diazepam has a biphasic half-life of about one to three days, and two to seven days for the active metabolite desmethyldiazepam.

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18.

Diazepam occurs as solid white or yellow crystals with a melting point of 131.

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19.

Diazepam can absorb into plastics, so liquid preparations should not be kept in plastic bottles or syringes, etc.

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20.

Diazepam was the second benzodiazepine invented by Leo Sternbach of Hoffmann-La Roche at the company's Nutley, New Jersey, facility following chlordiazepoxide, which was approved for use in 1960.

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21.

Diazepam is a medication with a high risk of misuse and can cause drug dependence.

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22.

Diazepam has been shown to be able to substitute for the behavioural effects of barbiturates in a primate study.

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23.

Diazepam is regulated in most countries as a prescription drug:.

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24.

Diazepam is a Schedule IV controlled drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

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25.

Diazepam is Schedule 4 substance under the Poisons Standard.

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26.

Diazepam is controlled as a Schedule IV substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

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27.

Diazepam is used as a short-term sedative and anxiolytic for cats and dogs, sometimes used as an appetite stimulant.

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