"Phenozepam" is an anti-neurotic drug with anxiolytic effect. Belongs to the class of tranquilizers. He began to be widely used in neurological and psychiatric practice in the Soviet years. It is still actively prescribed by doctors, it is used in the treatment of patients both in the hospital and at home.
Composition and form of release
The drug is available in the form of flat biconvex tablets in white. The main active ingredient of Phenazepam is bromodihydrochlorophenylbenzodiazepine. One tablet contains 0.0005, 0.001 or 0.0025 g of this component. which dosage to choose - should be decided by the attending physician. The following components are used as auxiliary components: potato starch, calcium stearate, talc, lactose, povidone.
The drug is also sold in ampoules for intramuscular or intravenous administration. Unlike tablets, sodium disulfite, sodium hydroxide solution, glycerin, water for injection are also present in the injectable form of the drug.
Sold in the following packaging options:
- cardboard box with 10 ampoules of "Phenazepam" and a scarifier;
- blister pack of PVC film with five or ten ampoules of the drug.
For use in hospital inpatient conditions, "Phenazepam" is made in cardboard boxes with a cardboard grate. In one box, there can be 50 or 100 ampoules with a solution.
Indications for use
Instructions for use with "Phenazepam" reports that the drug can be used for the following diseases and conditions:
- sleep disorders with hangover or withdrawal symptoms, with psychotic conditions and borderline state;
- epilepsy of various etiologies;
- increased anxiety;
- bipolar disorder;
- schizophrenia of various etiologies;
- muscle stiffness;
- panic attacks;
- the state of drug or alcohol delirium;
- neurosis-like disorders and conditions.
Recommended dosage
Instructions for use with "Phenazepam" reports that in order to obtain the required dosage, the tablet can be cut in half or a quarter in a chamfer that is extruded on one side. In a hospital, you can choose the dosage necessary in each case, without fear of provoking an acute psychotic reaction.
The action of "Phenazepam" is prolonged: if the patient has already taken the necessary dose and the effect does not occur, then the next dose should not be taken immediately - most often this approach ends with an overdose.
For sleep disorders, you should take 0,00025 g half an hour before bedtime. If the patient’s weight is more than one hundred kilograms or the patient is in an acute psychotic state, then the psychiatrist can increase the dosage to 0,0005 g.
Therapy of neurosis and neurosis-like conditions is carried out using a dosage of from 0.0015 g to 0.0003 g.
With vegetative paroxysms, increased anxiety, motor anxiety, you should take from 0.0002 g to 0.0006 g, depending on the severity of the patient's condition.
In case of narcotic or alcohol withdrawal syndrome, the recommended daily dose is from 0.0003 g to 0.005 g (if the patient is at the stage of possible development of delirium, the dose can be increased under the supervision of medical personnel, an unauthorized increase in dose can lead to worsening of the condition and the development of hallucinations).
The duration of treatment depends on the individual characteristics of the patient. Instructions for use with "Phenazepam" reports that with unauthorized administration of the drug, the development of persistent drug dependence is possible.
Contraindications
The drug belongs to the class of strictly prescription potent drugs and has a number of contraindications:
- shock or kamatoznoe condition;
- angle-closure glaucoma;
- diagnosis of COPD;
- period of pregnancy and lactation;
- children and adolescents (up to 18 years);
- individual sensitivity to the components of the benzodiazepine series;
- liver failure;
- chronic pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis in the acute stage.
Side effects of the drug
This tranquilizer belongs to the first generation of diazepines and has a rich set of possible side effects. They can occur in the first week of admission, when the body is getting used to a new substance, or develop as a result of an overdose. Instructions for use with "Phenazepam" reports that the following conditions are possible:
- itchy skin, urticaria, some patients in a neurotic state comb the skin to bloody wounds;
- severe drowsiness and decreased concentration of attention (when taking the drug it is forbidden to drive and engage in activities that require increased attention);
- temporary deterioration of short-term memory;
- dizziness, possible fainting;
- myasthenia gravis;
- dysarthria;
- violation of coordination of movement;
- dystonic extrapyramidal disorders.
In some cases, the development of unmotivated aggression, the appearance of auditory and visual hallucinations in the patient, and the appearance of drug dependence are possible.
The effect of "Phenazepam" may occur two to three hours after taking the first dose, or maybe half an hour later. It is optimal to start taking and monitor the individual reaction to the drug in a hospital setting.
Rules for the sale of the drug
The purpose of "Phenazepam" is the third prescription. Not a single pharmacist, in fear of a possible trial and a fine, will sell this medicine to a simple person. The recipe should be written out on a special form in Latin script. After making a purchase of Phenazepam, the pharmacist takes the prescription and then files it to the report.
In the past decade, pharmacies were swept by a wave of "pharmaceutical" drug addicts who, in search of a cheap way to change their minds, bought antidepressants and tranquilizers. That is why the rules of the sale were so seriously tightened.
"Phenazepam" is included in the list of drugs of group B. It is recommended to store it in a dry, dark, inaccessible to children cool place.
Narcotic effect of "Phenazepam"
The euphoria from this tranquilizer is very doubtful. However, this did not prevent hundreds of thousands of patients from receiving drug dependence on him. After taking a high dose of tablets, the following effects are possible:
- derealization and depersonalization;
- dizziness, reminiscent of a condition with severe alcohol intoxication;
- loss of report on actions taken;
- decrease in reaction rate;
- almost complete loss of concentration.
The effect of "Phenazepam", like many other tranquilizers, reaches its peak by about the third or fourth hour from the time of administration. The higher the dose, the higher the likelihood of derealization and depersonalization.
External signs of drug intoxication
The drug "Phenazepam" in case of an overdose causes a strong sedative effect. It can be identified by the following signs:
- staggering gait;
- incoherent slow speech;
- defocused gaze;
- inability to stand upright;
- dilated pupils that do not respond to bright light;
- pallor of the skin;
- stoop and lethargy.
How long does Phenazepam work in time? Complete excretion of metabolites of the active substance occurs in 12-14 hours. With a serious overdose, this time increases to a day. Symptoms of an overdose completely leave the patient on the second or third day (this period varies depending on the weight and state of health, as well as on the ability of the liver to cope with general intoxication of the body).
"Phenazepam" - a slow poison or a necessary medicine?
Do not categorically refuse to take this drug. He helped many people survive severe stress and supported the general treatment of psychotic conditions.
You should carefully read the instructions before taking the drug "Phenazepam". If the patient does not know that the drug is addictive, he can imperceptibly become addicted to high doses. Then therapy will be required already in order to overcome drug dependence.
The consequences of an overdose of "Phenazepam"
Even a single overdose inflicts a severe toxic blow to the body. If it is carried out regularly, the development of toxic hepatitis, chronic renal failure.
Doctors advise, when taking even low doses of tranquilizers, to support their liver and gall bladder with the use of choleretic drugs (for example, Hofitol, Holosas).
Such negligence with dosages inflicts a serious blow to the psyche.
The effects of an overdose of "Phenazepam" cannot be underestimated.
The functioning of the central nervous system is disrupted. The dosage of tranquilizers should be selected under the supervision of the attending physician, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient's psyche.
Treatment of hangover and withdrawal symptoms
A special place "Phenazepam" and analogues of this medicine are in the treatment of chronic alcoholism. During the period of withdrawal symptoms, sick people lose sleep, become aggressive, irritable, anxious. In this case, tranquilizers can provide significant help to the psyche. But if after a couple of weeks the patient again abuses alcohol or takes a drug - withdrawal symptoms are repeated. As a result, a sick person is again forced to resort to taking "Phenazepam."
Cancellation in the end becomes painful for the nervous system and psyche: after all, the patient is already used to falling asleep only after a pill. To avoid this outcome, patients are advised to go to a narcological hospital and take prescription drugs only under the supervision of medical personnel.
"Phenazepam" and alcohol, while taking it, have a strong toxic effect on the liver and nervous system. Multiple death of neurons (nerve cells) is observed. There is not only alcoholic, but also drug drug intoxication. The patient may faint, lose consciousness, fall into a coma. Therefore, it is important not to leave him alone. The concomitant use of "Phenazepamum" and alcohol is unacceptable. In some cases, this combination can be fatal.
What safer drug can replace "Phenazepam"?
Analogs of this drug:
- Atarax
- Phenibut
- Fluoxetine;
- Fesaneph;
- Tranquizepam.
All of these drugs are also tranquilizers (except Fluoxetine, which is an antidepressant), and they can also cause drug dependence.
The softest and most modern drug of the above is Atarax. some pharmacists dispense it without a prescription. In rare cases, it can cause drug dependence. Its admission is allowed even to children and adolescents.
"Fluoxetine" has a mild sedative effect, relieves anxiety and uplifting. You can buy it at a pharmacy only with a prescription from a psychiatrist or clinical psychotherapist. It has an antidepressant effect.