drowsy or sedating antihistamines, such as chlorphenamine or promethazine. strong painkillers, such as codeine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, pethidine or tramadol. HIV medicines, such as ritonavir, atazanavir, efavirenz or saquinavir. antifungal medicines, such as fluconazole.
have low levels of a protein called albumin in your blood. are trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant or breastfeeding. are over 65. are going to be put to sleep (have a general anaesthetic) for an operation or other medical treatment.
If you need to take a painkiller with diazepam it's fine to take paracetamol or ibuprofen. Don't take co-codamol, codeine or dihydrocodeine.
Keep out of sight of potential drug seekers. Avoid operating machinery, driving, or performing tasks that require mental alertness while taking this medicine. Grapefruit juice or grapefruit products may increase blood levels of diazepam; avoid concurrent use.
Some people may only have to take diazepam for one day, for instance before they have an operation. You should not normally be prescribed diazepam for more than four weeks. If you are taking diazepam to help you sleep, you should take it just before bedtime. Diazepam can be taken before or after food.
Diazepam belongs to a group of medicines called benzodiazepines. It works by increasing the levels of a calming chemical in your brain. Depending on your health condition, this can make you feel drowsy, relieve anxiety, stop seizures or relax tense muscles.
Notes for Professionals: Patients taking benzodiazepines for insomnia should not use caffeine-containing products prior to going to bed as these products may antagonize the sedative effects of the benzodiazepine.
Drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness, blurred vision, or unsteadiness may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects.
Serious side effects
your skin turns yellow, or the whites of your eyes turn yellow although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin. you see or hear things that are not there (hallucinations) you think things that are not true (delusions) you keep falling over.
When administered intravenously, diazepam has an onset of action within 1 to 3 minutes, while oral dosing onset ranges between 15 to 60 minutes. In addition, diazepam is long-lasting, with a duration of action of more than 12 hours.
For anxiety: Adults—2 to 10 milligrams (mg) 2 to 4 times a day. Older adults—At first, 2 to 2.5 mg 1 or 2 times a day. Your doctor may increase your dose if needed.
It is usually only recommended for a short period of time of up to 4 weeks. If you're prescribed diazepam for more than 4 weeks, your dose may be reduced gradually to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Diazepam produced no change in baroreceptor sensitivity; however, there was a significant rise in heart rate and a significant fall in aortic systolic and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures. Cardiac index was unchanged, whereas stroke volume fell significantly.
Long-term use of diazepam can lead to chemical dependency and, eventually, to severe addiction. Understanding the health complications of Valium addiction may encourage nonmedical users of this drug to reach out for help.
Valium (diazepam) is a medication that can be used to treat anxiety as well as alcohol withdrawal and seizures. Valium also has a sedative effect that is useful for treating muscle spasms. Valium for anxiety works by calming the brain and nerves.
Prolonged Valium use can lead to rebound anxiety and exacerbate a number of concurrent mental health issues. Many treatment programs are equipped to address both issues simultaneously.
With diazepam, a nonbasic lipophilic amine, there was 30% uptake during the first pass through the human lung--significantly less than that observed with verapamil. With thiopental, an acidic lipophilic barbiturate, only 14% of the injected drug accumulated in the lung during the first pass.
The effect of diazepam lasts for about six hours.
After oral administration >90% of diazepam is absorbed and the average time to achieve peak plasma concentrations is 1 – 1.5 hours with a range of 0.25 to 2.5 hours.
Some of the common medications that may be prescribed as an alternative to Valium include antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) like fluoxetine ( Prozac ), tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline ( Elavil, Endep ), monoamine oxidase inhibitors ( MAOIs ) such as phenelzine ( ...
Valium, diazepam, is a long-acting benzodiazepine, that is often used, against recommendation, to treat anxiety disorders such as panic disorder.
Valium Half-Life
Depending on a number of factors, this time period can last 30-56 hours. It therefore takes an average of 10 days for the entirety of the drug to leave the system, and that's just for the drug itself.
The maximum dosage for Valium will vary based on the medical condition being treated and the age of the patient. The maximum dosage ranges from 10 to 30 mg for adults and 0.2 to 30 mg for kids.
It can make you sleep very deeply. You may have breathing problems and difficulty waking up. It's possible to get addicted to diazepam, but you're less likely to get addicted if you take it at the lowest dose that helps your symptoms, for up to 4 weeks.