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A benzodiazepine can be placed into one of three groups by its elimination half-life, or time it takes for the body to eliminate half of the dose. [196] Some benzodiazepines have long-acting active metabolites , such as diazepam and chlordiazepoxide, which are metabolised into desmethyldiazepam .
The tables below contain a sample list of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine analogs that are commonly prescribed, with their basic pharmacological characteristics, such as half-life and equivalent doses to other benzodiazepines, also listed, along with their trade names and primary uses.
Flurazepam [2] (marketed under the brand names Dalmane and Dalmadorm) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. It produces a metabolite with a long half-life, which may stay in the bloodstream for days. [3]
The meeting was called due to concerns that 10–100,000 people could be dependent; meeting chairman Professor Malcolm Lader later revised this estimate to include approximately half a million members of the British public suspected of being dependent on therapeutic dose levels of benzodiazepines, with about half of those on long-term ...
Use of short-acting benzodiazepines is associated with interdose withdrawal symptoms. Kindling has clinical relevance with regard to benzodiazepines; for example, there is an increasing shift to use of benzodiazepines with a shorter half-life and intermittent use, which can result in interdose withdrawal and rebound effects. [5]
A short elimination half-life and a rapid onset of action are characteristics which increase the abuse potential of a benzodiazepines. [18] The following table provides the elimination half-life, approximate equivalent doses, speed of onset of action, and duration of behavioural effects. [32] [33]
Oxazepam is an intermediate-acting benzodiazepine of the 3-hydroxy family; it acts on benzodiazepine receptors, resulting in increased effect of GABA to the GABA A receptor which results in inhibitory effects on the central nervous system. [26] [27] The half-life of oxazepam is between 6 and 9 hours.
Potent benzodiazepines with a relatively short half-life, such as lorazepam, alprazolam, and triazolam, have the highest risk of causing dependence. [ 22 ] If regular treatment is continued for longer than four to six months, dose increases may be necessary to maintain effects, but treatment-resistant symptoms may in fact be benzodiazepine ...