Another head scratcher

[canceled.2021.3]

Here is another head scratcher. It is being reported that he was prescribed 50 tablets of 10 mg diazepam or Valium a few months ago.

Not knowing his complete medical history it is difficult to draw concrete conclusions, but I will say this absent a long history of treatment I can’t imagine anyone using 10 mg of Valium as a first line therapy for anxiety.

For one thing, there are much newer agents with fewer side effects and shorter half lives, secondly 10 mg is a very large starting dose. Valium while very popular in the 70s and early 80s has been replaced by newer agents

One of the issues with Valium is that it is a super prodrug of sorts. As it gets metabolized, it’s metabolites are in and of themselves active ingredients. There are a number of drugs that are nothing more than active metabolites of valium

 

[TheDonald]

Here is another head scratcher. It is being reported that he was prescribed 50 tablets of 10 mg diazepam or Valium a few months ago.

Not knowing his complete medical history it is difficult to draw concrete conclusions, but I will say this absent a long history of treatment I can’t imagine anyone using 10 mg of Valium as a first line therapy for anxiety.

For one thing, there are much newer agents with fewer side effects and shorter half lives, secondly 10 mg is a very large starting dose. Valium while very popular in the 70s and early 80s has been replaced by newer agents

One of the issues with Valium is that it is a super prodrug of sorts. As it gets metabolized, it’s metabolites are in and of themselves active ingredients. There are a number of drugs that are nothing more than active metabolites of valium

Valium is also a sedative, it was a lot more common decades ago and is an excellent drug, 5mgs as a sedative and 10mgs to sleep is normal. It is less commonly prescribed now because it is addictive.