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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.
Flurazepam [2] (marketed under the brand names Dalmane and Dalmadorm) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. It produces a metabolite with a long half-life, which may stay in the bloodstream for days. [3]
An equianalgesic chart can be a useful tool, but the user must take care to correct for all relevant variables such as route of administration, cross tolerance, half-life and the bioavailability of a drug. [5] For example, the narcotic levorphanol is 4–8 times stronger than morphine, but also has a much longer half-life. Simply switching the ...
[6] [32] Diazepam is the most commonly used benzodiazepine for "tapering" benzodiazepine dependence due to the drug's comparatively long half-life, allowing for more efficient dose reduction. Benzodiazepines have a relatively low toxicity in overdose. [19] Diazepam has several uses, including:
[46] [47] Thus, quazepam may have less side effects than other benzodiazepines, but, it has a very long half-life of 25 hours, which reduces its benefits as a hypnotic due to likely next day sedation. It also has two active metabolites with half-lives of 28 and 79 hours.
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]
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]
The elimination half-life of nitrazepam is 40 hours in the elderly and 29 hours in younger adults. [36] [37] Nitrazepam is commonly taken in overdose by drug abusers or suicidal individuals, sometimes leading to death. [38] [39] [40] Nitrazepam is teratogenic if taken in overdose during pregnancy with 30% of births showing congenital ...