"Valium" - what is this drug? You will find the answer to the question below. We will also tell you about how this tool works, what properties are characteristic for it, how it should be taken and in what form it is produced.
Form, packaging and composition
Valium is a drug that can be purchased in the form of an injection solution, as well as in the form of tablets. What is included in these funds?
In 1 ml of solution for injection contains 5 mg of diazepam. Such a medicine goes on sale in 50 or 10 ampoules of dark glass with a volume of 2 ml, placed in cardboard packs.
As for tablets, they can contain 10 or 5 mg of diazepam, as well as the following additional ingredients: corn starch, anhydrous lactose, calcium stearate, gelatinized starch, dyes.
Means "Valium" in tablet form is packaged in cardboard packs that contain cell blisters.
Pharmacology of the drug
"Valium" is a medication that exhibits anxiolytic, muscle relaxant, sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant properties.
Before telling you about the mechanism of action of the tool in question, you should understand what it is.
The drug "Valium" has the following patented name - "Diazepam". This drug belongs to the benzodiazepine group and is of great importance in medicine.
"Valium" is a medication that, thanks to its anxiolytic activity, relieves internal anxiety, fear, anxiety and tension. Experts say that Diazepam has a dose-dependent effect on the central nervous system. In other words, in small amounts (about 2-15 mg per day), this drug causes a stimulating effect, and in large quantities (more than 15 mg per day) - a sedative.
Features of the medication
What is remarkable about a tool like Valium? The action (central muscle relaxant) of this drug is associated with a slowdown of polysynaptic reflexes in the spinal cord. Taking this drug leads to a decrease in blood pressure, expansion of the coronary vessels, as well as increased brain resistance to hypoxia and an increase in the pain threshold of sensitivity.
Kinetics
The medicine "Valium", the analogues of which are indicated below, is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (with oral administration). In this case, absorption occurs at 75%, and the maximum concentration is reached after 1.5 hours.
The biological transformation of this drug occurs in the liver. In this case, active metabolites are formed with a half-life. When prescribing the medicine to infants, the effect is achieved after 30 hours, and for the elderly and adults - after 100 and 48 hours, respectively. With liver pathologies, this indicator lengthens up to 4 days.
The drug in question is excreted from the human body mainly by the kidneys (90%) in the form of conjugates, as well as unchanged (2%) and together with feces (8%).
Indications
What diseases can a Valium be prescribed for? Reviews of experts report that this drug is indicated for use in the following conditions:
- skeletal muscle spasms with local injuries;
- anxiety disorders;
- myositis, arthritis, bursitis, pelvis spondyloarthritis rheumatic, progressive chronic polyarthritis;
- tetanus;
- arterial hypertension, dysphoria, gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer (as an additional remedy), myocardial infarction;
- insomnia;
- angina pectoris;
- spastic conditions, including cerebral palsy, arthrosis with skeletal muscle tension and athetosis;
- drug poisoning;
- vertebral syndrome;
- alcohol withdrawal syndrome with manifestations such as anxiety, tension, agitation, tremor;
- status epileptic, relief of epileptic seizures;
- psychosomatic disorders in gynecology and obstetrics (for example, menopause and menstruation, with gestosis, to facilitate labor);
- eczema and other diseases that are accompanied by irritability and itching;
- Meniere's disease ;
- paranoid-hallucinatory conditions, motor excitations of various origins (in psychiatry and neurology);
- general anesthesia and premedication (for example, before surgical interventions and endoscopic manipulations).
Contraindications
When should you not use a medicine such as Valium? The effect of such a drug will not be what we would like if it were taken:
- with hypersensitivity;
- coma, shock;
- acute alcohol intoxication;
- acute forms of kidney and liver diseases;
- myasthenia gravis;
- angle-closure glaucoma;
- in children under 6 months;
- during lactation and in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The drug "Valium": instructions for use
Assign the agent in question should only an experienced specialist. For an adult patient, the oral dose should be 5-20 mg per day. This amount of medicine is determined depending on the severity of the symptoms of the disease, as well as on the overall clinical picture.
The maximum possible single dose of the drug is not more than 10 mg. The course of therapy with this remedy in case of anxiety should last about 6 weeks. After the specified period, you should consult your doctor so that he selects the minimum maintenance dosage.
Cancellation of the drug in question is carried out gradually.
In urgent cases, this medication should be administered parenterally (intramuscularly or intravenously). In this case, a dose of 2-20 mg is used.
With intravenous infusion, the drug should be administered very slowly, at a speed not exceeding 0.5-1 ml per minute.
Side effects
Like any medicine, taking the drug in question can cause negative reactions. These include the following:
- bradycardia or hypotension;
- decreased attention span and reaction rate;
- addiction to the medication;
- dizziness and headache;
- the development of paradoxical reactions in the form of anxiety, insomnia, hallucinations and convulsions;
- memory impairment (short-term);
- adverse reactions at the injection site;
- motor disorders in the form of dysarthria and ataxia;
- damage to the kidneys and liver, intestinal atony, decreased libido and potency (with prolonged use of the drug);
- allergic reactions;
- withdrawal syndrome;
- decreased performance and muscle weakness.
When prescribing this drug to the patient, it is very important to inform him about what this medication is. After all, the drug in question is a well-known psychotropic tranquilizer, which has a number of negative effects, among which addiction and withdrawal syndrome are especially distinguished.
The doctor prescribing this medicine is obliged to inform the patient about the possible detrimental effect of the drug on his body, as well as suggest other treatment options.
Drug overdose
An overdose of the drug in question is accompanied by such an unpleasant symptom as depression of the central nervous system. A similar phenomenon can have a different severity, from drowsiness to a coma. Also, when taking large doses of the drug in a patient, hypotension, confusion, and respiratory depression are possible.
The treatment of such conditions, provided that the patient is conscious, involves the induction of vomiting and the use of activated carbon. In the event that the patient is in an unconscious state, the stomach is washed with a probe, as well as symptomatic therapy, screening of vital functions and the introduction of fluid to enhance urine output.
To stop the patient's excessive excitement, you can assign him barbiturates.
Interaction with other medical devices
The Valium medication causes potentiation of the effects of alcohol, sleeping pills, anticonvulsants, antihypertensives and antihistamines, as well as antipsychotics, general anesthetics, tricyclic antidepressants, muscle relaxants and analgesics.
Psychostimulants and analeptics can significantly reduce the activity of the drug "Diazepam".
Antacids reduce the speed, but not the level of absorption of this agent.
Microsomal oxidation inhibitors such as Cimetidine, Omeprazole, Ketoconazole, Fluoxetine and Fluvoxamine alter the pharmacokinetics of the drug in question and also increase the duration of its clinical effects.
"Rifampicin" reduces the concentration of "Diazepam" in the blood, and "Erythromycin" slows down its metabolism in the liver.
Similar drugs
What can replace a drug like Valium? Analogues in Russia are not sold in all pharmacies. Moreover, such drugs are dispensed only after presentation of a medical prescription.
You can replace this medication with Sibazon, Diazepam or Diapam. However, this should only be done after consulting a doctor.
Drug cost
As mentioned above, it is not possible to purchase Valium Roche medication in Russia in every pharmacy. The cost of this medicine is approximately one thousand rubles (per package).
The price of this product in the UK and other European countries is usually about two hundred and fifty pounds per thousand tablets (10 milligrams).
To purchase a drug in their city that meets all safety and quality requirements, experts recommend contacting the information desk, where you will be provided with full information about its availability in pharmacies and the best prices.
Reviews of consumers about the drug
“Valium” is a rather popular drug among patients, which is used as anxiolytic, muscle relaxant, sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant drug. According to reviews of most consumers, the medication in question is highly effective in various diseases, including epilepsy, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and so on. Also, its administration helps to weaken manifestations in the form of agitation, tremor and eliminate hallucinations.
However, there is no such tool that would suit everyone. Some people who used this medication were unsatisfied. They note that the medicine begins to act only after a week. In addition, with prolonged use, the medication causes a large number of adverse reactions and leads to addiction.