Diazepam is one of the benzodiazepines (family of drugs commonly used to treat, among other conditions, states of anxiety) most administered to both hospitalized and discharged patients. One of its peculiarities is that it is considered one of the most effective for addressing muscle spasms.
Like all medicines, diazepam can have side effects in some cases, with varying degrees of severity. In addition, as it is a psychotropic drug with potential for abuse, it is especially important to be cautious in its use.
Adverse effects
As explained by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), a part of the most common side effects in diazepam appears so usual at the start of treatment. At this stage, the patient might experience:
- Drowsiness.
- Affective blunting.
- Reduced alertness.
- confusion.
- fatigue.
- Headache.
- Seasickness
- Muscle weakness.
- Ataxia.
- Diplopia.
In the same way, the continued use of the drug can cause dependence on the patient, which is associated with the appearance of a kind of symptoms at the end of the administration that are called withdrawal phenomena. It should be noted that this dependency is not exclusively ‘physical’, but can also be psychological, and that cases of abuse have been reported.
In some people, occasionally, adverse effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, libido changes, skin rashes, amnesia (sometimes associated with inappropriate behavior), depressive symptoms (due to the unmasking of a pre-existing disorder), paradoxical reactions (restlessness, agitation, irritability, aggressiveness, delirium, outbursts of rage, nightmares, hallucinations, psychosis, inappropriate behavior, behavioral disturbances…). Especially in the latter case, if any of these reactions appear, it is necessary to interrupt the treatment and go to the professional.
On the other hand, there are a number of groups in which benzodiazepines should be avoided or at most used with extreme precautions. Thus, they are not indicated in patients with severe liver failure (in whom there is an associated risk of encephalopathy); as first-line treatment of psychotic illnesses; as sole treatment in patients with anxiety associated with depression (since it increases the risk of suicide; and should be used with extreme caution in children and adolescents (they could increase the risk of suicide) or patients with a history of addiction to alcohol or other drugs.
References
AEMPS. Diazepan prods. Retrieved online at https://cima.aemps.es/cima/pdfs/es/ft/39693/39693_ft.pdf on 07/11/2022.