Pharmacologic Substance
diazepam
di·az·e·pam [ dahy-az-uh-pam ]
Brand Names:
Diastat; Valium; Valtoco
Effect:
Increased GABA Activity
May Treat:
Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium;
Muscle Spasticity;
Panic Disorder;
Status Epilepticus
More Information:
Definitions related to diazepam:
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A benzodiazepine derivative with anti-anxiety, sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant properties. Diazepam potentiates the inhibitory activities of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) by binding to the GABA receptor, located in the limbic system and the hypothalamus. This increases the frequency of chloride channel opening, allowing the flow of chloride ions into the neuron and ultimately leading to membrane hyperpolarization and a decrease in neuronal excitability.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A benzodiazepine with anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, sedative, muscle relaxant, and amnesic properties and a long duration of action. Its actions are mediated by enhancement of GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID activity.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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A drug used to treat mild to moderate anxiety and tension and to relax muscles. It is a type of benzodiazepine.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Benzodiazepine with anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, sedative, muscle relaxant, and amnesic properties and a long duration of action; its actions are mediated by enhancement of amma-aminobutyric acid activity; it is used in the treatment of severe anxiety disorders, as a hypnotic in the short-term management of insomnia, as a sedative and premedicant, as an anticonvulsant, and in the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Valium, trade name of a tranquilizer drug introduced by the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche in 1963. Safer and more effective than earlier sedative-hypnotic drugs, Valium quickly became a standard drug for the treatment of anxiety and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs of all time....Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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Diazepam, tranquilizing drug used in the treatment of anxiety and as an aid in preoperative and postoperative sedation. Diazepam also is used to treat skeletal muscle spasms. It belongs to a group of chemically related compounds (including chlordiazepoxide) called benzodiazepines, the first of...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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