Valium

Valium, first marketed as Diazepam by Hoffmann-La Roche, is a benzodiazepine derivative drug. Valium possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, skeletal muscle relaxant and amnestic properties. Valium is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, alcohol withdrawal, and muscle spasms. Valium may also be used before certain medical procedures (such as endoscopies) to reduce tension and anxiety, and in some surgical procedures to induce amnesia. You can gain expert advice and help from our Teen Challenge drug rehab.

Valium is a core medicine in the World Health Organization's "Essential Drugs List", which is a list of minimum medical needs for a basic health care system. Valium is used to treat a wide range of conditions and has been one of the most frequently prescribed medications in the world for the past 40 years. It was first synthesized by Dr. Leo Sternbach.

Teen Challenge helps individuals seeking free treatment for valium addiction or any other drug abuse through effective drug-free rehabilitation. Don't let yourself or a loved one continue to drown in the trap of any type of drug abuse, call us today. 

Indications

Valium is mainly used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and symptoms of acute alcohol or opiate withdrawal. It is also used as a pre-medication for inducing sedation, anxiolysis or amnesia before certain medical procedures (e.g. endoscopy).

Valium is rarely used for the long-term treatment of epilepsy because tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects of Valium usually develops within 6 to 12 months of treatment, effectively rendering it useless for this purpose and also because of side-effects - in particular sedation.

If you're struggling with a Valium addiction problem, but you don't want to see someone face-to-face at the moment, then Teen Challenge can help by having a one to one telephone chat with you before you commit yourself, contact us today and find out about our free rehab.

Valium has a broad spectrum of indications (most of which are off-label), including:

• Treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, and states of agitation
• Treatment of status epileptics, adjunctive treatment of other forms of epilepsy
• Treatment of vertigo associated with Meniere's disease
• Treatment of the symptoms of alcohol and opiate withdrawal
• Short-term treatment of insomnia
• Treatment of tetanus, together with other measures of intensive-treatment
• Initial management of mania, together with first line drugs like lithium, valproate, lamotrigine and anti-psychotics
• Adjunctive treatment of painful muscle conditions
• Adjunctive treatment of spastic muscular paresis (para-/tetraplegia) caused by cerebral or spinal cord conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury (long-term treatment is coupled with other rehabilitative measures)
• Palliative treatment of stiff person syndrome
• Used to alleviate the symptoms of Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
• Pre-/postoperative sedation, anxiolysis and/or amnesia (e.g. before endoscopy or surgical procedures)
• Treatment of over dosage with hallucinogens or CNS stimulants
• Adjunctive treatment of drug-induced seizures, resulting from exposure to sarin, VX, soman (or other organophosphate poisons), lindane, chloroquine, physostigmine, or pyrethroids
• Emergency treatment of eclampsia, along with IV magnesium sulfate
• Prophylactic treatment of oxygen toxicity during hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Used in the treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
• Used to treat pain resulting from muscle spasms caused by various spastic dystonias, including blepharospasm, spasmodic dysphonia and Meige's Syndrome.

Dosage

Dosages should be determined on an individual basis, depending upon the condition to be treated, the severity of symptoms, the body weight of the patient, and any comorbid conditions the patient may have.

Typical dosages for healthy adults range from 2 mg per dose to 10 mg per dose taken 2 to 4 times per day, depending on such factors as body weight and condition being treated. For the elderly or people with liver disorders, initial dose is at the low end of the range, with the dose being increased as required. 

Side effects

Valium has a range of side effects which are common to most benzodiazepines.

Most common side effects include: 

• Somnolence
• Suppression of REM sleep
• Impaired motor function
• - Impaired coordination
• - Impaired balance
• - Dizziness and nausea
• Depression
• Impaired learning
• Anterograde amnesia (especially pronounced in higher doses)
• Cognitive deficits
• Reflex tachycardia

Rare paradoxical side effects can include: nervousness, irritability, insomnia, muscle cramps, and in extreme cases, rage, and violence. If these side effects are present, Valium treatment should be immediately terminated. Benzodiazepines such as Valium impair learning and memory via their action on benzodiazepine receptors which causes a dysfunction in the cholinergic neuronal system. Valium may impair the ability to drive vehicles or operate machinery. The impairment is worsened by consumption of alcohol, because both act as central nervous system depressants.

During the course of therapy, tolerance to the sedative effects usually develops, but not to the anxiolytic and relaxant effects. Patients with severe attacks of apnea during sleep may suffer respiratory depression (hypoventilation) leading to respiratory arrest and death. Valium in doses of 5 mg or more causes significant deterioration in alertness performance combined with increased feelings of sleepiness. 

Do you need help for Valium Addiction?

Teen Challenge’s rehabilitation programmes for substance abuse is open to everyone both men and women who need addiction help. Wilkerson House Center in London is open to men only and Hope House Center in Wales is for women. Both are residential and the programme term is 12 months. The programme is FREE to enter, for more information you will need to complete an online application form.

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