Diazepam normal dosage

Diazepam normal dosage

Why did we say diazepam normal dosage, not diazepam normal dose? Is there a difference between dosage and dose?

People usually say dosage or dose interchangeably without differentiating between them.

So, what is meant by dosage, and what is meant by dose?

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), the dose is the specific amount of medication taken at one time; however, the dosage is the prescribed amount, number, and frequency of doses over a specific period.

So, what is the diazepam’s normal dosage?

First, let’s know what is diazepam? To which family of drugs does it belong? And how it works?

Diazepam is a member of many members of a family known as benzodiazepines and sometimes called benzos.

The benzodiazepines family contains many drugs, such as alprazolam, clonazepam, and diazepam our title for today.

They raise the level of the GABA neurotransmitter in the brain which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, helping to calm or sedate the patient, and that’s the same way diazepam and other members of the family work.

Diazepam normal dosage:

Before taking diazepam, read the medication guide carefully, and discuss it with your health care provider to avoid any misunderstandings and misuse of the drug.

Take this medication exactly as your doctor prescribed.

If you are going to use the liquid form of diazepam, use a special measuring device or a graduated syringe, but don’t use the household spoons to make sure you took the correct dose.

The medical condition should be reassessed regularly if you are going to use diazepam regularly.

Diazepam may cause addiction especially if used with high doses for a long time, that’s why you should take it exactly with the dose and for the exact duration the doctor determined.

Don’t take diazepam with alcohol, as it may increase the inhibitory effects of the CNS (Central Nervous System), such as drowsiness and dizziness.

Avoid taking grapefruit or its juice while taking diazepam, as grapefruit increases the blood levels of diazepam.

The doctor prescribes the dose based on the kind of medical condition, its severity, age, and weight of the patient.

However, diazepam’s normal dosage is determined for each medical condition.

Diazepam normal dosage:

For adults:

Anxiety

Orally or IV/IM injection from 2 to 10 mg every 6 to 12 hours, the dose should not exceed 30 mg every 8 hours

 

 

Alcohol withdrawal

Orally 10 mg every 6 to 8 hours on the first day, reduced to 5 mg every 6 to 8 hours

IV/IM injection starts with 10 mg, then additional doses from 5 to 10 mg every 6 to 8 hours as needed

Endoscopy

IV injection of 10 mg titrated immediately before the procedure and no more than 20 mg cumulatively

Don’t forget to reduce the dose of narcotics by one third

IM injection from 5 to 10 mg 30 minutes before the procedure

Preoperative sedation

IM injection of 10 mg before surgery

Sedation in the ICU (Intensive care unit)

IV injection from 5 to 10 mg 1 to 2 hours before surgery and then 0.03 to 0.1 mg per Kg every 30 minutes to 6 hours

Muscle spasms

Orally from 2 to 10 mg every 6 to 8 hours

IV/IM injection starts from 5 to 10 mg and then every 3 to 4 hours if necessary

Status epilepticus

IV/IM injection from 5 to 10 mg every 5 to 10 minutes, no more than 30 mg for a total dose

Parenteral solution of 0.5 mg/Kg and then 0.25 mg/Kg in 10 minutes

For pediatrics

It is not used for patients less than 6 months

In patients younger than 6 years: no more than 0.5 mg/Kg

Sedation and muscle relaxation

In patients older than 12 years:

Orally from 0.12 to 0.8 mg/Kg/day divided every 6 to 8 hours

IV/IM injection from 0.04 to 0.2 mg/Kg every 2 to 4 hours, no more than 0.6 mg/Kg in 8 hours

Status epilepticus

Using parenteral solution

From 2 to 6 years: 0.5 mg/Kg, and it may be repeated from 4 to 12 hours

From 6 to 12 years: 0.3 mg/Kg, and it may be repeated from 4 to 12 hours

In patients older than 12 years: 0.2 mg/Kg, and it may be repeated from 4 to 12 hours

Using IV injection

From 6 months to 5 years: from 0.2 to 0.5 mg initially, and then repeated every 2 to 5 minutes and no more than 5 mg which may be repeated 2 to 4 hours later

In patients older than 5 years: 1 mg slowly every 2 to 5 minutes, no more than 10 mg which may be repeated after 2 to 4 hours if necessary

 

Geriatrics:

Orally from 2 to 2.5 mg every day or every 12 hours initially and it may be increased gradually

And lower doses should be used with rectal gels

Dosage modifications:

With patients suffering from hepatic impairment 50% only of the dose should be used

However, diazepam normal dosage should not be used all the time and individualized dosage should be used.

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