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What is diazepam?

Diazepam is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines (ben-zoe-dye-AZE-eh-peens). Diazepam affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.

Diazepam is used to treat anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or muscle spasms.

Diazepam may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Instructions

Side-effects

Interactions

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you have narrow-angle glaucoma, or if you are allergic to diazepam or to other benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene), lorazepam (Ativan), or oxazepam (Serax).

Before taking diazepam, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• glaucoma;
• asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), or other breathing problems;
• kidney or liver disease;
• epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
• a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or behavior; or
• a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication.

Diazepam can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Do not use diazepam without your doctor’s consent if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are using this medication.

Diazepam may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

The sedative effects of diazepam may last longer in older adults. Accidental falls are common in elderly patients who take benzodiazepines. Use caution to avoid falling or accidental injury while you are taking diazepam.

Do not give this medication to a child younger than 6 months old.

Do not drink alcohol while taking diazepam. This medication can increase the effects of alcohol.

Diazepam can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by diazepam.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of diazepam can be fatal.

Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness, confusion, muscle weakness, fainting, or coma.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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Side-effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior;
• unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger;
• depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
• hyperactivity, agitation, hostility;
• hallucinations;
• feeling light-headed, fainting;
• muscle twitching, tremor;
• fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
• urinating less than usual or not at all.

Less serious side effects may include:

• drowsiness, tiredness;
• blurred vision;
• sleep problems (insomnia);
• muscle weakness, lack of balance or coordination;
• slurred speech;
• nausea, vomiting, constipation;
• headache;
• drooling;
• skin rash; or
• loss of interest in sex.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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Interactions

Before taking diazepam, tell your doctor if you take any other seizure medications, or if you are using any of the following drugs:

• cimetidine (Tagamet);
• a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital (Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton);
• an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate);
• medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), haloperidol (Haldol), mesoridazine (Serentil), pimozide (Orap), or thioridazine (Mellaril);
• narcotic medications such as butorphanol (Stadol), codeine, hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin), levorphanol (Levo-Dromoran), meperidine (Demerol), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), morphine (Kadian, MS Contin, Oramorph), naloxone (Narcan), oxycodone (OxyContin), propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet); or
• antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Etrafon), amoxapine (Asendin), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil), protriptyline (Vivactil), sertraline (Zoloft), or trimipramine (Surmontil).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with diazepam. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

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