Common questions about diazepam

Diazepam belongs to a group of medicines called benzodiazepines.

It works by increasing the levels of a calming chemical in your brain.

Depending on your health condition, this can make you feel drowsy, relieve anxiety, stop seizures or relax tense muscles.

Diazepam will work quite quickly or more slowly depending on what you're taking it for:

• seizures or fits – diazepam rectal tubes should start to work within 10 minutes
• anxiety – you should start to feel a bit better within a few hours, but it may take a week or 2 for you to feel the full effects
• muscle spasms – you should begin to feel less pain after 15 minutes. Your muscles will start to relax when you have been taking diazepam regularly for a few days

You'll usually take diazepam for no longer than 2 to 4 weeks.

If you're prescribed diazepam for more than 4 weeks, your dose may be reduced gradually when you stop taking it to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

It is possible to become addicted to diazepam. To reduce the risk of becoming addicted, it's best to take the lowest dose that treats your symptoms, and to take it for only a short time (2 to 4 weeks).

You're more likely to get addicted if you need to take a higher dose for a longer time, or if you've ever had problems with alcohol or drugs.

If you have been taking a high dose of diazepam or have been taking it for a long time, your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually.

If you suddenly stop taking it, you may get some side effects, such as:

• confusion
• seizures or fits
• depression
• feeling nervous or irritable
• sweating
• diarrhoea

You're less likely to get these side effects if you reduce your dose gradually.

There are different types of medicines for treating anxiety or seizures or fits.

For anxiety, depending on your symptoms, you may need a medicine to treat your physical symptoms, as well as your psychological ones.

Your doctor will usually start you on a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), such as sertraline, paroxetine or escitalopram.

For seizures or fits, a medicine called midazolam can be used. It comes as a pre-filled syringe and is given inside your mouth between your cheek and your gum (buccal cavity).

You can use this instead of rectal diazepam, which is inserted into your bottom (anus).

You can discuss the different options with your doctor. They'll help you decide which medicine is best for you.

Diazepam can be given as a pre-med to relax you before an operation or dental treatment that may be uncomfortable or make you feel anxious.

It's important to tell your doctor or dentist if you're already taking diazepam.

It depends on which country you're travelling to. Different countries have different rules and regulations for diazepam.

It's important to plan ahead and find out whether you can take your medicine abroad. It's best to only take the amount that you need while abroad.

You can check the rules by contacting the embassy for the country you're visiting. You can find a full list of foreign embassies in the UK on the GOV.UK website.

Diazepam will not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception.

But some contraceptive pills can keep diazepam in your body for longer and increase its effect.

You can also get bleeding in between your periods if you take diazepam and contraceptive pills together.

But your contraception will still work.

Do not drive a car or ride a bike if diazepam makes you sleepy, gives you blurred vision, or makes you feel dizzy, clumsy or unable to concentrate or make decisions.

This may be more likely when you first start taking diazepam, but it could happen at any time, for example when starting another medicine.

It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.

Even if your ability to drive is not affected, the police have the right to request a saliva sample to check how much diazepam is in your body.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking diazepam. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

Do not operate machinery or tools if you get any side effects, such as feeling sleepy, being forgetful, or poor co-ordination.

Do not drink alcohol while you're taking diazepam. Alcohol can increase the effects of diazepam. It can make you go into a very deep sleep. There's a risk you will not be able to breathe properly, and you may have difficulty waking up.

Grapefruit juice may increase the amount of diazepam in your blood. It's a good idea to avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking diazepam.

Caffeine is a stimulant and may reduce the calming effects of diazepam. It's best not to have drinks like coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks because they contain caffeine.

Do not drink alcohol while you're taking diazepam.

Using cannabis, heroin or methadone with diazepam will increase the drowsy effects of diazepam. It can make you go into a very deep sleep.

There's a risk you will not be able to breathe properly, and you may have difficulty waking up.

Using cocaine or other stimulants like MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamines with diazepam can also make you drowsy.

Talk to your doctor if you think you might use recreational drugs while taking diazepam.

You can find out more about the side effects of some recreational drugs on the Frank website.

If you have anxiety, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to help ease symptoms:

• try a book or online course on anxiety
• exercise regularly
• learn to relax
• avoid caffeine
• quit smoking if you can
• try not to drink alcohol
• contact support groups run by charities like Anxiety UK, Mind and Rethink Mental Illness

If you're having trouble sleeping, there are some things you can do to help with insomnia and getting to sleep:

• set regular times for going to bed and waking up
• relax before bedtime – try taking a warm bath or listening to calming music
• use thick curtains or blinds, an eye mask and earplugs to stop you being woken up by light and noise
• avoid caffeine, cigarettes, vaping, alcohol, heavy meals and exercise for a few hours before going to bed
• do not watch TV or use phones, tablets or computers just before going to bed
• do not nap during the day
• write a list of your worries, and any ideas about how to solve them, before you go to bed to help you forget about them until the morning