What will 5mg diazepam do

If your symptoms do not improve after a week, speak to a doctor as you may need a lower dose. There's not enough information to know if diazepam is safe to use in pregnancy. But it can give your newborn baby withdrawal symptoms.

You may need to keep taking diazepam during pregnancy as it's important for you to remain well. Your doctor can explain the risks and the benefits of taking diazepam, and will help you choose the best treatment for you and your baby. If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, diazepam can be used during breastfeeding as long as you're only taking a low dose of diazepam occasionally or for a very short time.

Diazepam passes into breast milk. If you take diazepam for a long time or in high doses, it can build up in your milk. This can make your baby drowsy or tired and can make it difficult for them to feed. If you're breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, as other medicines might be better while breastfeeding, although this will depend on what the diazepam is being used for. If you do take diazepam while you're breastfeeding and you notice that your baby's not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy, has unusual breathing, or you have any other concerns about them, talk to your health visitor or doctor as soon as possible.

Some medicines interfere with the way diazepam works and increase the chances of you having side effects. Before you start taking diazepam, tell your doctor if you're taking :. There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with diazepam. Do not take herbal medicines for anxiety or insomnia, such as valerian or passionflower, with diazepam.

They can increase the drowsy effects of diazepam and may also have other side effects. For safety, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

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:. Diazepam is usually only recommended for a short period of time of up to 4 weeks. If you're prescribed diazepam for more than 4 weeks, your dose may be reduced gradually to prevent withdrawal symptoms. If you're prescribed diazepam for more than 4 weeks, your dose may be reduced gradually when coming off it to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Diazepam is not likely to be addictive if you take it at a low dose for a short time 2 to 4 weeks. You're more likely to get addicted if you have, or previously had, problems with alcohol or drugs. You should take diazepam tablets for as short a period of time as possible.

If you have been taking a high dose 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 occasionally experience some side effects, such as:. The risk of these side effects can be reduced by gradually reducing your dose.

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 fits, a medicine called midazolam can be used.

It comes as a pre-filled syringe and is given inside the mouth between the cheek and the gum buccal cavity. This can be used instead of rectal diazepam, which is inserted into the 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.

Tell your doctor that you take diazepam if you're going to be put to sleep using a general anaesthetic or having any kind of major operation. Do not drink alcohol while you're on 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 may have difficulty waking up. Using cannabis, heroin or methadone with diazepam will increase the drowsy effects of diazepam.

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 lead to drowsiness. Talk to your doctor if you think you might use recreational drugs while taking diazepam. 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 and cola because they contain caffeine. Alcohol can increase the effects of diazepam and make you go into a very deep sleep. Diazepam will not affect any contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. 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. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking diazepam will reduce fertility in either men or women.

If you're trying to get pregnant, or you're having problems getting pregnant while on diazepam, speak to your doctor. Do not drive a car or ride a bike if diazepam makes you sleepy during the daytime, 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 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. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Valium diazepam is a fast-acting and long-lasting benzodiazepine that is often prescribed to treat anxiety disorders. Since being approved by the FDA in , Valium has been prescribed for a range of medical conditions including muscle spasms, seizure disorders, restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

Benzodiazepines such as Valium were originally developed to replace more dangerous and addictive barbiturates. Despite the improved safety profile of Valium and other benzodiazepines, these substances can still lead to physical dependence and addiction even when taken exactly as prescribed. Benzodiazepines like Valium are classified as Schedule IV controlled substances.

Valium can also have potentially dangerous interactions with other medications and substances, so knowing how long its effects last and how long it stays in your body can help minimize the risk of interaction side effects and accidental overdose.

Valium works by facilitating the activity of the chemical GABA at various receptor sites in the brain. GABA reduces activity in different areas of the brain, including regions that help control emotion, thought, memory, and automatic functions such as breathing. By increasing the effects of this brain chemical, Valium helps reduce anxiety, relax muscles, and increase drowsiness. Valium can be taken by mouth, injection, or rectal gel. When taken orally, people usually begin to feel the effects 15 to 60 minutes after ingestion.

Rectal gel may be used for those who are experiencing seizures and begins working quickly after administration. If you take Valium, it's important to know how long the drug stays active in your system to avoid associated risks. Valium has a half-life of approximately 48 hours. The half-life of a drug is how long it takes for half of a dose to be eliminated from the body. As Valium is processed by the body, it is broken down into other substances known as metabolites. In many cases, these metabolites are detectable in the body for much longer than the drug itself.

The most common metabolites of Valium are nordiazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam. The metabolites of the drug may have much longer half-lives as well. Nordiazepam, for example, has a half-life of up to hours. Valium also accumulates when people take multiple doses over a period of time, which can slightly prolong the total half-life of the substance. Valium—or rather, metabolites associated with the medication—can be detected in the body in different ways.

Valium can be detected in urine for one to six weeks after being taken. Valium is detectable in blood for six to 48 hours. Blood tests tend to be used less frequently than other test methods due to the shorter detection window and the more invasive nature of the test. However, a blood test may be used in some forensic settings or to confirm an unexpected positive urine test result.

A saliva test can detect Valium for one to 10 days after it's taken. Research suggests that saliva testing can be a viable alternative to urine testing for the detection of Valium and other benzodiazepines.

While saliva tests have a fairly long detection window, this type of testing can present some challenges. Valium side effects can include dry mouth or hypersalivation, which can affect the ability to collect an adequate sample or may dilute the amount of detectable substance in the oral fluid.

Like many other drugs, Valium can be detected with a hair follicle drug test for up to 90 days. Diazepam affects your CNS and may make it more difficult for you to breathe or cause you to stop breathing. Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage and monitor you more closely. If your breathing problems are severe or you have sleep apnea, your doctor may prescribe a different medication for you instead. For pregnant people: Diazepam is a category D pregnancy drug.

That means two things:. Taking this drug during pregnancy may cause babies to be born with deformities, muscle weakness, breathing and eating problems, low body temperatures, and withdrawal symptoms. Diazepam should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit for the mother justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

For people who are breastfeeding: Diazepam passes into breast milk and can cause serious effects in a child who is breastfed. For seniors: Seniors may have a higher risk for side effects, such as motor ataxia loss of muscle coordination while you move. This drug may also have more of a sedative effect in seniors. You may experience more dizziness, sleepiness, confusion, or a slowing or stopping of breathing. Your doctor will prescribe the lowest dosage possible to control your symptoms.

For children: Keep this drug out of the reach of children. Diazepam can interact with several other medications. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some can interfere with how well a drug works, while others can cause increased side effects. Below is a list of medications that can interact with diazepam. This list does not contain all drugs that may interact with diazepam.

Before taking diazepam, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also, tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use.

Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. These drugs make it harder for the body to absorb diazepam. If you take them together, you may not get the full dose of diazepam, and it may not work as well.

These drugs include:. Taking certain drugs that treat allergies or colds along with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. It can also cause your breathing to slow down or stop. Taking certain antidepressants with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. These drugs block the enzyme that breaks down diazepam. This can increase the levels of diazepam in your body, putting you at higher risk for side effects such as drowsiness.

Taking certain antipsychotic drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. Taking certain anxiety drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. Taking certain motion sickness drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. Taking certain antiseizure drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. Phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine also affect the enzyme that breaks down diazepam.

This can increase the levels of diazepam in your body, putting you at higher risk for these side effects. Taking certain pain drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. Taking certain sleep drugs with diazepam can increase your risk for drowsiness or sleepiness. These drugs make your body process diazepam faster, so there will be lower levels of the drug in your body.

If you take them with diazepam, it may not work as well. This drug may be refilled if your doctor authorizes it on the prescription.

It may only be refilled up to five times within 6 months after the prescription was given. Your doctor will decide the right dosage for you.