What is diazepam used for?

Diazepam, whose trade name is Valium, is one of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the field of psychiatry, and although it has a side effects to be taken into account and can lead to addiction, well used can contribute a lot to the treatment of certain diseases.

Here We will see what diazepam is for and what are the disorders in which it is used this drug.

• Related article: "Psychopharmaceuticals: drugs that act on the brain"

What is diazepam and what is it used for?

Diazepam, sometimes called methyldiazepinone or diazepin, was created in the mid-20th century.. Who synthesized it was the chemist of Polish origin Leo Henryk Sternbach, while working for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche. Sternbach was elected in 2005 to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

There are several disorders in which diazepam, a drug derived from 1,4-benzodiazepine, is used, being a positive allosteric modulator of about transmembrane receptors (responsible for most of the physiological activities of the non-protein amino acid GABA in the nervous system center or SNS). It is important to mention that diazepam has anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and sedative properties.

Among the disorders in which diazepam is used are various disorders of anxiety, agitation and tension at the psychic level, as well as to alleviate some symptoms produced by the withdrawal syndrome due to the cessation of alcohol consumption, among many others. In addition, diazepam is the benzodiazepine that has the highest degree of effectiveness in treating muscle spasms.

Usually taken orally, becoming absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and normally begins to take effect between 15 and 45 minutes after being administered orally, reaching elimination through the kidneys or hepatic. The usual dose of diazepam is usually between 5 and 10 mg; while it is usually recommended that the maximum dose does not exceed 40 mg per day. In addition, it is recommended that the treatment last as short as possible (maximum between 8 and 12 weeks), including its gradual withdrawal.

The effects it causes when taken by mouth to treat disorders in which diazepam is used are depressing the process of nerve conduction by some neurons of the central nervous system, thus provoking from a mild sedative effect to, in extreme cases, producing coma if large amounts of this medicine are ingested.

It should be noted that to treat disorders in which diazepam is used, this medicine must have been prescribed by a specialist doctor after a review complete and an adequate diagnosis, in order to be used correctly, since this is not an over-the-counter medicine due to the danger of its consumption without a prescription, as occurs with the rest of benzodiazepines and with other psychoactive drugs such as other anxiolytics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc.

• You may be interested: "The 8 types of Psychiatry (and what mental illnesses they treat)"

Disorders in which diazepam is used

As we mentioned, there are various disorders in which diazepam is used, among which it is worth highlighting those that We will explain below, varying the doses depending on the severity of the disorder and the recommendation of the doctor.

1. Anxiety disorders

Among the disorders in which diazepam is used, perhaps the most common are the different anxiety disorders, as well as for episodes in which a person suffers from severe symptoms of anxiety, mental stress or agitation that has been produced by psychoneurotic states or by situational disorders of long duration transitory

When treating anxiety with diazepam, they are usually taken at night, before going to sleep, because they produce a hypnotic and sedative effect, rather than an anxiolytic effect, so when a person taking it usually feels drowsy quickly.

For anxiety disorders, between 2 and 10 mg of diazepam is usually prescribed in 2 to 4 doses a day, varying depending on the severity of the symptoms. It is recommended that you do not exceed 30 mg of diazepam in total daily consumption.

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

2. alcohol withdrawal

One of the disorders in which diazepam is used is for the relief of alcohol withdrawal symptoms (tachycardia, diaphoresis, tremors, orthostatic hypotension, and agitation), when acute alcohol deprivation has begun.

In the case of alcohol withdrawal, 10 mg of diazepam is usually prescribed in 3 to 4 doses during the first 24 hours, it being advisable to reduce it to 5 mg and up to two doses per day.

• You may be interested: "Alcoholism: these are the effects of alcohol dependence"

3. Stiff person syndrome

Stiff person syndrome is another disorder in which diazepam is used. This alteration is characterized by the suffering of an episode of rigidity and also spasms of the muscles of the limbs and trunk.. When a person suffers from this syndrome, it is common for them to suffer from increased sensitivity to touch and noise. In addition, they can adopt an unusual posture.

In the treatment of this syndrome, diazepam or other types of benzodiazepines are usually prescribed, or a muscle relaxant such as baclofen may be prescribed to treat muscle spasms and stiffness suffered. In some cases, anti-seizure medications are also prescribed.

4. seizures

Another of the disorders in which diazepam is used is for epilepsy, normally being a medication that is used in addition to anticonvulsant medications. to treat seizures in people with status epilepticus.

When diazepam is used as an adjunct to anticonvulsant therapy, 2 to 10 mg of this drug is usually prescribed. must be administered between 2 to 4 doses a day, not increasing the dose that has been prescribed by the doctor who prescribed your taking. In this case, the amount of 10 to 20 mg per day in the total daily consumption of diazepam should not be exceeded.

However, some studies have found better results when lorazepam is administered intravenously instead of diazepam.

• You may be interested: "Types of Seizures: Why Do They Happen and What Causes Them?"

5. Insomnia

Finally, another of the disorders in which diazepam is used is insomnia, this disorder being normally caused by other mental or physical health problems (eg. g., mood disorders, stress, chronic pain, some parasomnias, etc.).

It should be noted that when a person suffers from insomnia there are psychological relaxation techniques that have been shown to be quite effective and should be accompanied by the consumption of diazepines if your doctor has prescribed this medicine for insomnia.

It is also important to take good care of sleep hygiene to help you fall asleep, following a series of guidelines: avoid naps, keeping stable schedules for going to bed and waking up, creating a suitable atmosphere in the room, having a light dinner, avoiding excessive consumption of coffee and avoiding the use of screens such as the mobile phone before to sleep.

If relaxation and meditation techniques are implemented at bedtime, as well as hygiene guidelines of sleep, you will be more likely to reverse your insomnia and eventually achieve quality sleep without the consumption of diazepam. It can also be said that Normally, the amount of this medicine consumed is gradually decreased..

• Related article: "Insomnia: what is it and how it impacts our health"

Possible Side Effects of Using Diazepam

After having seen the disorders in which diazepam is used, we consider it convenient to mention that it is a drug that should be taken with caution and should of course never be taken without a prescription medical. Although unfortunately, its free sale on the black market has increased and many people consume this type of medications at their free will without thinking about how dangerous drug abuse can be. diazepam.

If high doses of diazepam are taken over a long period of time, tolerance to its pharmacological effects is likely to develop., so if it is abruptly discontinued various psychological problems could develop such as depressive disorders, insomnia, excessive salivation and nervousness. In addition, diazepam withdrawal syndrome can trigger various complications such as psychotic manifestations, acute confusional states or seizures, among others. On the other hand, its consumption during pregnancy and lactation is inadvisable.

Among the possible side effects caused by the consumption of diazepam is drowsiness, sedation, vertigo, ataxia, hypotension, changes in libido and also disorders at the gastrointestinal. On the other hand, there are cases in which diazepam has caused a paradoxical reaction, triggering symptoms of aggressiveness and/or excitement, having come to occur in most cases in elderly people and children, so with this type of population it is necessary to have a greater caution.

In addition, diazepam is contraindicated in people with respiratory, liver, and kidney failure, glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, or respiratory depression. It should also not be used if you have hypersensitivity to benzodiazepines. When you are being treated with diazepam it is important not to drink alcoholic beverages because they increase the sedative effects.

As we can see, beyond the disorders in which diazepam is used, always under medical prescription, It is still a medicine with which you must be very careful when taking it due to the number of adverse effects that it can cause. For this reason, it is advisable to follow all the doctor's instructions and not to exceed the quantities; It is very important that if any abnormal and/or adverse symptom or sensation is experienced, you should contact a doctor immediately to find the solution before any damage can be done higher.

It should also be noted that diazepam should not be a substitute for psychological therapy for anxiety disorders, due to that psychotherapy has shown better long-term results, without causing side effects, as well as being less expensive.