Benzodiazepines belong to the category of medicines with sleeping pills, as well as anticonvulsant and sedative effects. Such medications are prescribed for patients who suffer from insomnia, anxiety and anxiety. Most drugs in this group are related to tranquilizers. To date, medications derived from benzodiazepine have achieved a medical breakthrough in eliminating anxiety conditions along with panic attacks, neuroses, obsessive-compulsive disorders and nervous tics.
The list of benzodiazepine preparations will be considered in this article.
Purpose and mechanism of action
In medical practice, benzodiazepine derivatives are used to treat various neurological diseases:
- Anxiety Disorders Health authorities advise using benzodiazepines for short-term therapy for one month. Dosing directly depends on the level of anxiety, as well as on the patient's age and his state of health. Such tranquilizers are recommended to be used with caution by older people because of the risk of an excessive level of sedation, as well as impaired or loss of consciousness.
- The presence of insomnia. The presented category of drugs helps people fall asleep faster and increases the duration of sleep. Given the fact that tranquilizers can cause dependence of the body, they should be used for short-term therapy of severe insomnia. Instructions for use with Midazolam are discussed below.
- Conducting treatment for alcohol dependence. Benzodiazepines help people with detoxification, reducing the risk of negative consequences on the background of a sharp abolition of alcohol-containing fluids. These medications significantly relieve symptoms, and in some cases can even save the life of a patient.
- Bouts of epilepsy. Some benzodiazepine drugs can effectively prevent seizures.
- Fight against panic attacks. Benzodiazepines have a quick anti-anxiety effect, allowing you to use these drugs to get rid of the anxiety that is associated with panic disorders.
- Neuroses of various types of genesis.
Benzodiazepines: list of drugs
Today they are widely used in neurology and other fields of medicine. The following is a list of the twenty most requested drugs in this category:
- Nitrazepam.
- Clonazepam.
- Midazolam
- Gidazepam.
- Nimetazepam.
- "Flunitrazepam."
- Alprazolam.
- Diazepam
- Klobazam.
- Midazolam
- Lorazepam.
- Clorazapat.
- Loprazolam.
- "Chlordiazepoxide."
- "Phenazepam."
- Triazolam.
- Gidazepam.
- "Bromazepam."
- "Temazepam."
- "Flurazepam."
Let us consider in more detail the indications for the use of the above drugs, as well as the features of therapeutic courses and the recommended dosages of each of these benzodiazepines.
The drug "Midazolam"
According to the instructions for use, "Midazolam" is prescribed to patients to eliminate insomnia along with the relief of acute epileptic seizures. This medicine is administered intravenously and intramuscularly. In order to conduct emergency treatment of various seizures in children, the drug "Midazolam" is used intranasally or intrathecal. What other drugs are included in the list of benzodiazepines?
Gidazepam
"Gidazepam" has an anticonvulsant effect. This remedy helps eliminate emotional excitement along with anxiety and fears. In pharmacies, it is sold in tablets (20 and 50 mg), which should be swallowed without chewing. The daily dose, as a rule, is from 75 to 150 mg. The exact dosage should be prescribed by the attending physician.
The drug "Diazepam"
“Diazepam" can be described as an anticonvulsant and hypnotic medicine. Its daily dosage is from two to fifteen milligrams. With this norm, the medicine will produce a stimulating effect on the body. With the use of more than 15 mg, the product will have a sedative effect. It should be borne in mind that the maximum dose of this drug should not exceed 60 mg per day. This medicine must be taken orally.
Clonazepam Medication
Clonazepam is available in the form of 2 mg tablets. This drug can reduce the tone of skeletal muscle, having a hypnotic effect on the human body. The initial daily dose should not exceed 1.5 mg.
Klobazam
"Klobazam" belongs to benzodiazepines with anticonvulsant action. The drug is sold in tablets that have a calming as well as anticonvulsant effect. For patients of the adult age category, the daily dosage is from 20 to 30 mg, and for children from three years, half of this norm should be used.
Means "Lorazepam"
Lorazepam has an anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant effect. Take this drug orally at 2-3 mg per day. The duration of the first treatment course should not exceed one week.
Clorosepate
“Clorazepat” is an analogue of “Midazolam”, it should be taken against a background of partial epileptic seizures, panic disorders and anxiety. Available in capsule form with 5 mg of active ingredient. Young patients under 12 years of age are recommended to consume no more than 60 mg per day, and for adults this dosage can be increased one and a half times.
The drug "Chlordiazepoxide"
"Chlordiazepoxide" is available in the form of tablets and dragees. This medicine has an anticonvulsant and sedative effect. According to the regimen, this drug is recommended to use 5-10 mg up to four times a day.
"Phenazepam"
The drug "Phenazepam" and analogues of the drug are anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant, that is, muscle relaxing effect. In pharmacies, this drug is sold in the form of 1 mg tablets. It should be taken half a tablet two to three times a day.
The drug "Gidazepam"
"Gidazepam" has an anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant effect. Available in the form of tablets in 20 and 50 mg. It should be taken three tablets per day. The dosage of this drug is recommended to be gradually increased.
Alprazolam
The medicine "Alprazolam" serves as an antidepressant sleeping pill, and in addition, acts as an anticonvulsant. Release “Alprazolam" in the form of tablets of 1 mg. Against the backdrop of panic attacks, half a tablet of this drug is prescribed two to three times a day. Benzodiazepines with anxiolytic effects are prescribed to many.
The medication "Bromazepam"
Bromazepam is also produced in the form of tablets. This drug should be taken against a background of anxiety-depressive states and neurological disorders. The dosage of this drug is selected individually. On average, up to 3 mg is prescribed twice a day.
Loprazolam
Loprazolam has an anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, calming and relaxing effect. In order to conduct insomnia therapy, the dose of this drug should be 1 mg at bedtime.
The medicine "Flunitrazepam"
As indicated by the instructions for use, "Flunitrazepam" has a sedative, anticonvulsant and hypnotic effect. These pills are used to treat insomnia. Adults are recommended 1-2 mg, and the elderly and children half of this norm before bedtime.
Temazepam
The drug "Temazepam" is prescribed to patients to combat neurosis and psychopathy, as well as sleep disorders of various origins. Tablets should be taken orally (up to 30 mg per day) before bedtime.
Other drugs
"Flurazepam" is used in the treatment of insomnia. This drug helps people fall asleep faster, and also reduces the number of awakenings per night, thereby increasing the overall duration of sleep. As part of the dosage, up to 30 mg of the drug should be taken immediately before bedtime.
Midazolam is available in the form of tablets or a solution for intravenous as well as intramuscular administration. This medicine is prescribed for the short-term treatment of insomnia in patients. You need to take this medicine inside. With insomnia, the average dose should not exceed 15 mg per day. Tablets must be swallowed whole without chewing. Benzodiazepines with sleeping pills are a very popular treatment.
Nimetazepam is sold in pharmacies in the form of 5 mg tablets. This drug is prescribed to combat sleep disorders, neurosis and schizophrenia. Use the medicine presented once a day half an hour before bedtime. The daily norm for adults is from 5-10 mg per day. Children are allowed up to five milligrams per day.
"Triazolam" - an analogue of "Phenazepam", is also prescribed for the fight against insomnia. The drug is produced in tablets. It should be noted that the duration of administration of this drug should not exceed three months. The maximum dosage is 1 mg half an hour before bedtime.
Nitrazepam effectively copes with such phenomena as convulsions and insomnia. This medicine is prescribed as a sleeping pill. It should be consumed up to 5 mg once a day for half an hour before bedtime.
Benzodiazepines and withdrawal syndrome
It is well known that short-term drugs during withdrawal entail an intense, but at the same time short-term reaction of the body, which can begin within 24 hours after the cessation of treatment.
The time required for safe and progressive withdrawal of benzodiazepines directly depends on the individual characteristics of the body of a particular patient, and in addition, on the type of drug and the person’s ability to cope with the stress associated with withdrawal, as well as with the initial reasons for using the drug . As a rule, the withdrawal periods of such drugs vary from four weeks to six months, and in some cases can exceed a year. The mechanism of action of benzodiazepines must be taken into account in therapy.
Too fast withdrawal of such drugs from the body can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, such a process must necessarily take place under the strict supervision of the attending physician. The correct withdrawal of a medicinal product from use is possible due to a gradual reduction in dosage.
Thus, given that benzodiazepine-type tranquilizers are related to the category of drugs that have a sedative and anticonvulsant effect, the regimen should be prescribed exclusively by the attending physician. Subject to the recommended doses and course of administration, the medications presented are relatively safe and have a high degree of clinical effectiveness. Their side effects, along with toxicity, are usually negligible. Today, modern medicine still cannot boast of alternative and more advanced drugs that could become a substitute for this category of drugs.
We reviewed the list of benzodiazepine drugs.