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The tables below contain a sample list of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine analogs that are commonly prescribed, with their basic pharmacological characteristics, such as half-life and equivalent doses to other benzodiazepines, also listed, along with their trade names and primary uses.
A benzodiazepine can be placed into one of three groups by its elimination half-life, or time it takes for the body to eliminate half of the dose. [195] Some benzodiazepines have long-acting active metabolites , such as diazepam and chlordiazepoxide, which are metabolised into desmethyldiazepam .
Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. [15] It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome. [15]
A box of Lorazepam Orion (Lorazepam) tablets. Lorazepam, sold under the brand name Ativan among others, is a benzodiazepine medication. [14] It is used to treat anxiety (including anxiety disorders), trouble sleeping, severe agitation, active seizures including status epilepticus, alcohol withdrawal, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. [14]
This is likely the result of the medication's long half-life, which continues to affect the user after waking up. [58] [59] [60] While benzodiazepines induce sleep, they tend to reduce the quality of sleep by suppressing or disrupting REM sleep. [61] After regular use, rebound insomnia may occur when discontinuing clonazepam. [62]
Nordazepam is a partial agonist at the GABA A receptor, which makes it less potent than other benzodiazepines, particularly in its amnesic and muscle-relaxing effects. [6] Its elimination half life is between 36 and 200 hours, with wide variation among individuals; factors such as age and sex are known to impact it. [2]
Gradual and careful reduction of the dosage, preferably with a long-acting benzodiazepine with long half-life active metabolites, such as chlordiazepoxide or diazepam, are recommended to prevent severe withdrawal syndromes from developing. Other hypnotic benzodiazepines are not recommended. [48]
In a 1983 study, only 5% of patients who abruptly ceased taking long-acting benzodiazepines after less than eight months demonstrated withdrawal symptoms, but 43% who had been taking them for more than eight months did. With alprazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine, taken for eight weeks, 65% of patients experienced significant rebound anxiety.