We can define Diazepam as a powerful drug from the benzodiazepine family. It is used for relieve anxiety symptoms, muscle spasms, severe contractions, seizures and agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal in a person addicted to it.
Despite its effectiveness, it is a drug with which we must be careful because its impact on the body It is very powerful, in addition, it has numerous quite dangerous side effects, among them, the dependence.
Drugs that affect neurons (psychotropic drugs) often raise many doubts about their function and effects. Studies on the chemistry of these compounds show that the effects can range from a few few hours and practically a whole day. In this Psychology-Online article, we will solve the doubt about how long the effects of diazepam last, in addition to developing and listing your collateral damages.
Index
- What is diazepam and what is it for?
- Diazepam: immediate effect
- Hours of effect of Diazepam
- Side effects of Diazepam
What is diazepam and what is it for?
Diazepam is a medicine from the family of benzodiazepone derivatives. The mechanism of action of Diazepam consists in facilitating the binding of GABA to its receptor and increasing its activity, acting on the limbic system, the thalamus and the hypothalamus.
Diazepam has an effect tranquilizer, sedative, muscle relaxant, antiseizure and antipsychotic. Therefore, it serves to alleviate the symptoms of different problems. Especially, it is used to treat anxiety disorders, helping to alleviate anxiety symptoms, also for alcohol withdrawal and muscle spasms. Although it can be used for other uses such as helping to treat seizures.
Diazepam has the following presentations: 5 mg and 10 mg tablets, 10 mg ampoules and 5 mg and 10 mg microenemas.
Diazepam: immediate effect.
How long does Diazepam take to work? This medicine is usually given as tablets (pills), capsules, or concentrated liquid, all to be taken by mouth. In this way, theireffects are usually quite immediate and our body quickly notices the consequences of having taken this substance.
Approximately, the effects of Diazepam can be felt in about 30 minutes. However, the time it takes for Diazepam to take effect can vary depending on different factors, including the person's condition. The greater the activation or the more intense the anxiety symptoms, the longer it will take to notice the effects. The immediate effects of Diazepam are as follows:
- Drowsiness
- Muscle relaxation
- Relief from anxiety symptoms
- Physical tiredness
- Feeling dizzy
- Difficulty maintaining attention
- Problems coordinating movements
Many people describe its effects as a feeling of being with a haze in the mind, and it is that, apart from relaxing us, Diazepam also produces a sedative effect that can leave us dislodged if we do not expect it. This psychotropic drug must be administered with great care and its use should not exceed three months, if we do not carefully follow medical recommendations, it is possible that the long-term effects are serious and more difficult to treat than the problem we wanted to alleviate with the use of Diazepam.
Hours of effect of Diazepam.
How long does the effect of Diazepam last? The effects that we have described above do not remain in us indefinitely, Diazepam usually enters our body and causes its effects during within 6 to 8 hours, always depending on many variables such as the ingested dose, the physical complexion of the person or if it has been mixed with alcohol or other substances.
The dose of this drug will vary depending on the reason why we are taking it, if our symptoms are more severe it is possible that a higher dose is prescribed. Therefore, it is not the same to know how long the effect of Diazepam 10 mg lasts as to know the duration of this same medicine but 5mg.
Diazepam seriously alters cognitive functions since it affects neurons and reduces the activity of our brain. During the hours that Diazepam is in our body, we must avoid doing any type of physical exercise, driving or making important decisions. We must take it at times when we know that we are going to be calm and we do not have any kind of responsibility to manage. The consequences of carrying out an activity under the influence of Diazepam can be very dangerous for our physical and mental integrity.
How long does it take for Diazepam to leave my body?
Although its effects last between 6 and 8 hours, Diazepam stays in the body and in the bloodstream much longer, between 36 and 200 hours to be more exact. This is equivalent to Diazepam takes between 2 and 9 days to be expelled completely from our body. It is possible that, even weeks later, traces of Diazepam are found in the urine if we have had a prolonged use of this medicine.
Side Effects of Diazepam.
Drugs from the benzodiazepine family directly affect the Central Nervous System (CNS), even knowing how long the effects of diazepam last, much remains to be discovered about the long-term consequences of this medicine. At the moment, the following side effects have been described:
- Drowsiness
- Feeling of imminent fainting
- Symptoms of depression
- Suicidal behavior
- Hallucinations and confusional state
- Muscular weakness
- Dry mouth
- Upset stomach and diarrhea
- Respiration problems
- Slight faults in our memory
In addition, Diazepam produces the following long-term side effects:
- Slow thinking
- Headaches
- Negative effects on mental health
- Dependency and severe addiction
- Immune system disorders
- Perception and depersonalization disorders
It is important avoid dependency at all costs, An addiction to a psychotropic drug of such caliber is very difficult to treat and the effects of said dependence are worse than those of the pathology we initially wanted to treat.
With these data on the table, it is not surprising that they want to restrict their consumption. Without denying the efficacy of the active ingredient, we must explore other options before resorting to taking this psychoactive drug and, in the case of taking it for anxiety symptoms, we must combine it with therapy psychological and relaxation techniques.
It is important to offer tools so that people who suffer from psychological problems can get ahead without generating an addiction and, consequently, another problem. We must not forget that psychotropic drugs such as Diazepam relieve the symptom but they don't cure the problem root psychological.
Diazepam and alcohol
It is important to follow the medical prescription to take the drugs properly. The professional will supervise that you are not taking substances that are incompatible. It is also of great importance to know the interaction between Diazepam and alcohol. Alcohol increases the risk of serious side effects. The consequences of mixing Diazepam and alcohol are due to the fact that the consumption of alcohol increases sedative effects of Diazepam, decreasing reactions to levels that can be dangerous.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How long do the effects of Diazepam last?, we recommend that you enter our category of Psychopharmaceuticals.
Bibliography
- Carranza, R. R. (2005). VAM Academic Vademecum of Medicines. McGraw-Hill.
- Sierra, J. C., Ortiz, J. D. M., & Vera, J. P. (2003). Effects of a dose of diazepam on the emotional state in a non-clinical sample. Psychology and Health, 13(1), 103-110.
