Abstract
Diazepam 10 mg was evaluated in a sleep laboratory study of six insomniac subjects. The protocol, which lasted for 18 consecutive nights, including four placebo-baseline, seven drug, and seven placebo-withdrawal nights, allowed for assessment of initial and short-term drug effects, side effects, and any withdrawal effects. With initial drug use, there was a significant improvement in sleep. Further, there was little evidence of tolerance developing at the end of the 1-week drug administration period. During drug administration there was a mild degree of daytime sedation reported. After abrupt termination of diazepam, there was a moderate degree of sleep difficulty on the sixth withdrawal night when total wake time was increased by 34% above baseline (not significant). On other nights, mild withdrawal changes were noted. These findings for the short-term administration and withdrawal of diazepam contrast with those for rapidly eliminated benzodiazepine drugs. The latter are characterized by a rapid development of tolerance and more frequent and intense withdrawal sleep disturbances.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 340-346 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 5 |
State | Published - Oct 1988 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Pharmacology (medical)