What It Is
Diazepam belongs to a class of medicines called benzodiazepines, a group known for their calming, muscle-relaxing, and anti-seizure properties.
What It's Used For
Diazepam is generally used to help manage conditions including anxiety, muscle spasms, and certain seizure conditions, and is sometimes used to help manage symptoms during alcohol withdrawal, based on its calming effect on the nervous system.
How It Works
Diazepam works by enhancing the effect of a naturally occurring brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, which is the primary inhibitory, or calming, chemical messenger in the nervous system. Diazepam binds to specific sites on GABA receptors and makes them more responsive to GABA, which increases its calming, inhibitory effect on nerve activity throughout the brain, resulting in reduced anxiety, muscle relaxation, and a lowered likelihood of seizure activity.
History and Regulatory Status
Diazepam was developed by a Polish-American chemist working for a pharmaceutical company in the United States, and was introduced for clinical use in the early 1960s, shortly after the first benzodiazepine medicine reached the market. It quickly became one of the most widely prescribed medicines of its era, at one point among the most commonly dispensed medicines in the world. Due to its potential for dependence with prolonged use, it's classified as a controlled substance in most countries, requiring a prescription, and its long-term use is generally approached with closer oversight than many other medicine classes.
