Diazepam brands and prices in Pakistan

About Diazepam

Diazepam is a calming medicine from the benzodiazepine group. It raises the level of a calming chemical in the brain called GABA, which slows down signals in the nervous system. This eases anxiety, relaxes tight muscles and helps stop seizures (fits). It is a prescription medicine, and in the US it is a controlled substance because it can be misused. It comes as tablets, a liquid to swallow, and a tube that is put into the back passage (rectal tube), and as an injection given in hospital. It is meant for short-term use only, because taking it for longer can lead to dependence and addiction.

Who should not take it, or should take care

• Do not take it if you are allergic to diazepam, any other benzodiazepine, or any ingredient.
• Do not take it if you have severe breathing problems, sleep apnoea (breathing that stops during sleep), myasthenia gravis (a muscle-weakness condition), severe liver disease or porphyria (a rare blood disorder).
• Tell your doctor if you have long-term kidney, liver, heart or lung problems, glaucoma, epilepsy or a past seizure.
• Tell your doctor if you have depression, thoughts of harming yourself, a personality disorder or another mental health condition, or if you have recently lost someone close to you.
• Tell your doctor if you have ever misused alcohol, street drugs or prescription medicines, because the risk of dependence is higher.
• Older and frail people are more sensitive to it and are more likely to become confused or clumsy and to fall and hurt themselves. They are usually given lower doses.
• Children and older people are more likely to have unexpected reactions, such as agitation, aggression, nightmares or hallucinations.
• Pregnancy: the UK tablet leaflet says not to take it if you are pregnant or planning a baby, and the NHS says it should not be taken unless a doctor advises it. Used late in pregnancy or during labour, it can make the newborn baby floppy and cold and cause breathing or feeding problems, and regular use can cause withdrawal in the baby. Talk to your doctor straight away if you are pregnant.
• Breastfeeding: diazepam passes into breast milk. The UK tablet leaflet says not to take it while breastfeeding, while the NHS says it may sometimes be used briefly if the benefits outweigh the risks. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• The tablets contain lactose, which matters for people with some sugar intolerances.

Medicines and drinks that can interact

• Opioid medicines, such as morphine, and some cough and pain medicines: together they can cause dangerous drowsiness, slow breathing, coma or death
• Alcohol and other medicines that cause sleepiness, such as sleeping tablets, other sedatives, phenobarbital, sedating antihistamines, some antipsychotics (such as clozapine), ketamine, sodium oxybate and general anaesthetics
• Some antidepressants, such as fluvoxamine and fluoxetine
• Stomach acid medicines: cimetidine, omeprazole and esomeprazole can raise diazepam levels, and antacids can slow its absorption
• The antibiotic erythromycin, and antifungals such as fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and voriconazole
• Some HIV medicines, such as ritonavir and efavirenz
• TB medicines isoniazid and rifampicin, and the asthma medicine theophylline
• Disulfiram (used for alcohol problems)
• Epilepsy medicines such as phenytoin, carbamazepine and sodium valproate
• Levodopa (for Parkinson's disease), which diazepam can make work less well
• Blood pressure and heart medicines, including water tablets (diuretics) and nitrates, as blood pressure may drop more
• Steroid medicines (corticosteroids), which may weaken its effect
• Hormonal contraceptive pills may cause breakthrough bleeding, but the UK leaflet says contraception still works
• Grapefruit juice can increase its effects, and caffeine drinks can reduce them
• Always tell your doctor or pharmacist about every medicine, herbal remedy or supplement you take, and tell any doctor, dentist or anaesthetist that you take diazepam

Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine, supplement and herbal product you take.

Using it safely

• Take it exactly as your doctor tells you, for the shortest time possible. Never take more, more often, or for longer than prescribed.
• Swallow tablets whole with water, with or without food. For the liquid, use the measuring device that comes with it.
• The rectal tube is used to stop a seizure, usually in people with epilepsy. Each tube is used only once. Make sure the person giving it knows how to use it.
• If you forget a dose, skip it and take the next one at the usual time. Never take two doses together.
• Do not stop taking it suddenly, even after a short course. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headache, anxiety, sweating, trouble sleeping and, in severe cases, fits. Your doctor will lower the dose slowly.
• Do not drink alcohol while taking it. It can cause very deep sleep, breathing problems and difficulty waking up.
• It can make you sleepy, dizzy, forgetful or clumsy. Do not drive, cycle or use tools or machines until you know how it affects you. In the UK it is against the law to drive if a medicine affects your driving.
• If you take it for seizures, carry something that says you have epilepsy.
• Keep it in its original container, out of the sight and reach of children and pets, ideally locked away. Never share it, and return unused medicine to a pharmacy rather than flushing it or putting it in household rubbish.

Common questions

Is diazepam addictive?
It can be. The risk of dependence and addiction goes up the longer you take it, the higher the dose, and if you have ever misused alcohol or drugs. Doctors keep it for short-term use at the lowest dose that works. Talk to your doctor if you are worried, but do not stop suddenly.

Can I drink alcohol while taking diazepam?
No. Alcohol adds to its sleepy effect and can cause very deep sleep, breathing problems and difficulty waking up.

Can I take diazepam with strong painkillers?
Only if your doctor has decided it is needed and is keeping a close eye on you. Taking it with opioid painkillers such as morphine, or some cough medicines, can slow breathing dangerously and can be fatal. Family and friends should know the warning signs, such as extreme sleepiness and slow breathing.

Can I drive while taking diazepam?
Not until you know how it affects you. It often causes drowsiness, dizziness and poor coordination. Do not drive if you feel sleepy or less alert. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Why can't I just stop taking it?
Your body can get used to diazepam, even over a short course. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, sweating, sleep problems and, rarely, fits, and seizures may come back in people with epilepsy. Your doctor will reduce the dose step by step.

Prepared from the sources listed by the MedInfoBase team. General information, not medical advice: it gives no doses. Your doctor or pharmacist decides the medicine and dose for you.