Overdosage Or More Frequent Dosage:

You should avoid taking more frequent and overdosage. Taking overdosage of the drug may cause some unwanted effects including,

• Change in consciousness
• irregular, fast or slow, or shallow breathing
• lack of coordination
• loss of strength or energy
• muscle pain or weakness
• pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin
• sleepiness

Diazepam May Interact With Other Medications

Diazepam can interact with several other medications. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some can interfere with how well a drug works, while others can cause increased side effects.

Below is a list of medications that can interact with diazepam. This list does not contain all drugs that may interact with diazepam.

Before taking diazepam, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also, tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with diazepam are listed below.

Warnings For People With Certain Health Conditions

For people with kidney disease: Diazepam is removed from your body by your kidneys. If you have kidney problems, more of the drug may stay in your body for longer, putting you at risk for side effects. Your doctor may adjust your dosage and monitor you more closely.

For people with acute narrow-angle glaucoma: Talk to your doctor if you have glaucoma. Diazepam may be used in people with open-angle glaucoma, but it shouldnt be used in people with acute narrow-angle glaucoma.

For people with a history of drug or alcohol abuse: Let your doctor know if youve had problems with drug or alcohol abuse. You may have a higher risk for becoming addicted, dependent, or tolerant to diazepam.

For people with liver disease: Diazepam is processed by your liver. If you have liver problems, more of this drug may stay in your body, putting you at risk for side effects. Your doctor may adjust your dosage of diazepam and monitor you more closely. If you have severe liver disease, you shouldnt take this drug.

For people with mental health issues: Let your doctor know if you have a history of severe depression, or if youve ever thought about or tried to complete suicide. Diazepam may make these problems worse. Your doctor will monitor you more closely.

For people with myasthenia gravis: If you have myasthenia gravis, you shouldnt take diazepam. Myasthenia gravis is a disease that causes extreme muscle weakness and tiredness.

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Some Side Effects Of Amitriptyline

Like all medicines, amitriptyline may have side effects. Common side effects include:

• drowsiness
• weight gain
• urinary retention.

You will find a complete list of the side effects on the Consumer Medicine Information leaflet, which you can access from the Medicine Finder. Some side effects, such as blurred vision, drowsiness and dry mouth, may get better over time. Other side effects do not appear until later in the treatment.

If you are having trouble with the side effects of amitriptyline, talk to your GP.

What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

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How Does Diazepam Work

Diazepam is a type of medicine called a benzodiazepine. It works by increasing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are stored in nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. They are involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells. GABA is a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural ‘nerve-calming’ agent. It helps keep the nerve activity in the brain in balance, and is involved in reducing anxiety, relaxing muscles and inducing sleepiness. By increasing the activity of GABA in the brain, diazepam increases these calming effects.

Other Medicines That Make You Feel Sleepy

The medicines below will increase the sedative effect of diazepam. If you’re taking one of these you shouldn’t take diazepam as well, unless it’s specifically recommended by your doctor:

• antihistamines that make you sleepy, such as chlorphenamine, promethazine, cinnarizine or hydroxyzine
• antipsychotics, eg chlorpromazine, haloperidol

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Side Effects Of Valium Use

Because of its central nervous system depressant effects as well as its effect on several different neurotransmitter systems, the immediate side effects of using Valium may include:

• Feelings of wellbeing or euphoria
• A reduction in motor coordination that is dose-dependent, such that motor coordination rapidly declines as one takes more of the drug

• Seizures, which can be fatal.

Other Drugs That Can Often Cause This Complication:

• Flagyl

• Thalidomide
• INH

If you are taking any of these medications, and you have neuropathy, you need to speak to your doctor about getting off of them and replacing them with a natural supplement.

Minimally, your doctor you on a medication that does not cause neuropathy.

If you doctor is not willing to work with you on this, you should find a doctor who will.

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Can Diazepam Help For Nerve Pain

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What Is The Dosage Of Cyclobenzaprine Vs Valium

Cyclobenzaprine

• The recommended dose of cyclobenzaprine dose is 5 or 10 mg three times daily using immediate release tablets or 15 or 30 mg once daily using extended release tablets.

Valium

• Diazepam may be taken with or without food.
• Diazepam is disposed of by the liver and excreted mainly by the kidney. Dosages of diazepam may need to be lowered in patients with abnormal kidney function.
• The usual oral diazepam dose for anxiety or seizures is 2-10 mg given 2-4 times daily.
• The usual rectal dose is 0.2-0.5 mg/kg and depends on the age of the patient.

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Prescription Medicines For Nerve Pain

There are several types of medication that help with nerve pain. However, not all of the ones listed here will necessarily work for your specific type of pain. The best choice for you depends on the cause of your pain, the severity, the potential side effects, and other factors.

• Anticonvulsants. The name might sound alarming, but some of these drugs can help people with nerve pain. In fact, they’re often considered a first choice. These drugs were originally developed for people with epilepsy to control seizures. It turned out that their effects on the nervous system could also help dull pain. Side effects may include drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea.

Keep in mind that not all anticonvulsants will help. So your doctor will choose medicines that have been shown in studies to work on nerve pain.

Using antidepressants for nerve pain can have an added benefit, considering that chronic pain often coincides with depression. Chronic pain can make a person depressed, and depression can often make the experience of chronic pain seem worse. So these drugs might help improve your mood, as well as ease your discomfort.

Of course, some people don’t like the idea of taking antidepressants for their nerve pain because they worry taking antidepressants implies that the pain is just “in their heads.” But that’s not the case at all. It just happens that these drugs work with both conditions.

Allergy Or Cold Drugs

Taking certain drugs that treat allergies or colds along with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. It can also cause your breathing to slow down or stop. These drugs include:

• diphenhydramine

Keep these considerations in mind if your doctor prescribes diazepam oral tablet for you.

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How To Use Diazepam

See also Warning section.

Read the Medication Guide provided by your pharmacist before you start taking diazepam and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor. If you are using the liquid form of this medication, carefully measure the dose using a special measuring device/spoon. Do not use a household spoon because you may not get the correct dose.

If you are using the concentrated solution, use the medicine dropper provided and mix the measured dose with a small amount of liquid or soft food . Take all of the mixture right away. Do not store the mixture for later use.

The dosage is based on your medical condition, age, and response to treatment. Do not increase your dose or use this drug more often or for longer than prescribed. Your condition will not improve any faster, and your risk of side effects will increase. Properly stop the medication when so directed.

When this medication is used for a long time, it may not work as well. Talk with your doctor if this medication stops working well.

Though it helps many people, this medication may sometimes cause addiction. This risk may be higher if you have a substance use disorder . Take this medication exactly as prescribed to lower the risk of addiction. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details.

Tell your doctor if your condition lasts or gets worse.

Warnings For Other Groups

For pregnant people: Diazepam is a category D pregnancy drug. That means two things:

Taking this drug during pregnancy may cause babies to be born with deformities, muscle weakness, breathing and eating problems, low body temperatures, and withdrawal symptoms.

Tell your doctor if youre pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Diazepam should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit for the mother justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

For people who are breastfeeding: Diazepam passes into breast milk and can cause serious effects in a child who is breastfed. You and your doctor may need to decide if youll take diazepam or breastfeed.

For seniors: Seniors may have a higher risk for side effects, such as motor ataxia . This drug may also have more of a sedative effect in seniors. You may experience more dizziness, sleepiness, confusion, or a slowing or stopping of breathing. Your doctor will prescribe the lowest dosage possible to control your symptoms.

For children: Keep this drug out of the reach of children. The safety and effectiveness of diazepam in children under the age of 6 months hasnt been established.

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Chronic Back Or Neck Pain

Healthcare products may opt to prescribe amitriptyline for other causes of pain, as well, including chronic back and neck pain due to disease or injury. Antidepressants like amitriptyline are not typically the first medications healthcare providers prescribe for these types of pain, but they’re often used when other treatments haven’t been successful.

While a fair amount of research supports the use of amitriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants for neuropathic pain and migraine, evidence thus far is lacking when it comes to chronic neck or back pain.

A review of studies published in 2021 found that tricyclics in general haven’t been shown to alleviate back pain. However, the reviewers considered the evidence of generally low quality, so much work remains to be done on this topic.

Management Of Neuropathic Pain Associated With Spinal Cord Injury

The efficacy of LYRICA for the management of neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury was established in two double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter studies. Patients were enrolled with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury that persisted continuously for at least three months or with relapses and remissions for at least six months. A total of 63% of patients completed study 1 and 84% completed study 2. The patients had a minimum mean baseline pain score of greater than or equal to 4 on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale ranging from 0 to 10 . The baseline mean pain scores across the two studies ranged from 6.5 to 6.7.

Patients were allowed to take opioids, non-opioid analgesics, antiepileptic drugs, muscle relaxants, and antidepressant drugs if the dose was stable for 30 days prior to screening. Patients were allowed to take acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during the studies.

Figure 11: Patients Achieving Various Levels of Improvement in Pain Intensity Study SCI 1

Figure 12: Patients Achieving Various Levels of Improvement in Pain Intensity Study SCI 2

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Taking Diazepam With Other Medicines

Tell your GP or pharmacist that you are on diazepam before you take any new medicines.

Before you take diazepam for the first time, tell your GP or pharmacist if you:

• are taking any other medication
• have recently taken any medication
• might take any other medicines in the near future

This includes medicines you can get without a prescription.

Can I Drink Alcohol With Diazepam

No, you should not drink alcohol while you’re taking diazepam, or the day after taking it since its effects can last into the next day. Drinking alcohol will make you feel more sleepy, as well as causing increased problems with concentration, alertness, coordination and judgement. It can also cause problems with your breathing.

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How To Take And Store

Amitriptyline comes in tablet form. The drug is generally taken at night to avoid dizziness, drowsiness, and other central nervous system side effects.

The pill should be swallowed whole. Do not break, split, crush, or chew the tablet as it can affect its absorption of the drug in the gut. There are no food restrictions amitriptyline can be taken with or without food.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of your next dose, simply skip the original dose and continue as normal. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Amitriptyline can be stored safely at room temperature. Keep the tablets in their original light-resistant container, and avoid storing them on a sunny windowsill or in your glove compartment. Discard any medications that have expired.

Opioids Effective For Chronic Nerve Pain

Morphine-like Drug Cuts Neuropathic Pain, but Risks Still Unknown

March 26, 2003 — There are few effective treatment options for the roughly 3 million Americans who live with debilitating, chronic pain caused by nerve damage. It is widely believed that opium-based drugs, though often prescribed for chronic pain management, are not very effective for so-called neuropathic pain. But new research suggests opioids are a useful treatment option for managing chronic pain caused by nerve damage.

The study shows the morphine-like drug levorphanol to be as effective as other widely used treatments for relieving chronic pain due to nervous system damage, although pain management came at a price. Patients who took the highest and most effective doses of the opioid also had the most treatment-related side effects, such as restlessness, depression, confusion, and personality changes. These side effects often led them to stop taking the drug.

“This study provides strong evidence that opioids are valid and effective drugs for relieving chronic neuropathic pain,” lead researcher Michael C. Rowbotham, MD, tells WebMD. “But there are still a lot of unanswered questions.”

Although the opioid was not compared directly with antidepressant and anti-convulsive therapies used to treat neuropathic pain, the responses achieved with the higher doses of levorphanol are similar to those seen in trials evaluating these medications.

Show Sources

The New England Journal of Medicine

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Chemical Defense Therapeutic Area

The anticonvulsant diazepam has been used therapeutically in the treatment of both convulsant and cholinergic , soman , cyclosarin , tabun , VX, and organophosphorus pesticides) agents to enhance the inhibitory effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid at GABA receptors and limit excess central nervous system excitation and seizures.

When Chronic Pain Comes From The Nerves These Nerve Pain Medications Can Help When Added To Other Pain Relievers

For chronic muscle and joint pain, effective therapies include rest, ice and heat, anti-inflammatory medications, and time. Usually, the pain calms down and you feel better.

However, muscle and joints may be only part of the picture. For instance, pain can be coming primarily from irritated nerves, along with the injured and inflamed muscle or joint.

Often the discomfort is only arising from nerve pain. Typical signs of this “neuropathic” pain include sharp, stinging pain or pain that radiates from one part of the body to adjacent areas. One of the most common causes is diabetes, although it can also be brought on by injury, infection, and some medications.

“People say things like, ‘My knee hurts and I feel like it’s coming up to the middle of my thigh and down to my shin,” says Dr. Padma Gulur, a pain medicine specialist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “In those cases, the nerve may be involved.”

In neuropathic pain, the nerve that was the mere messenger of pain now becomes the actual source. Narcotic pain relievers don’t often help and even when they do, they should not be used as a long term solution. Fortunately there are other options. Certain drugs that were originally developed to treat depression and seizure disorders also damp down inappropriate or excessive pain signaling in the nerves.

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