"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Benzodiazepines (and Substitutes)

A brand new era within the treatment of insomnia and anxiety began with the introduction of benzodiazepines similar to chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium) within the early Nineteen Sixties. Benzodiazepines were simpler and safer than the older drugs—barbiturates, meprobamate, and glutathione—that were prescribed for these purposes. For a few years, benzodiazepines remained the preferred prescription tranquilizers and sedatives. Since the mid-Eighties, recent alternatives have taken over a few of these roles, but benzodiazepines aren’t about to go away the stage.

More than a dozen benzodiazepines can be found by prescription. Benzodiazepines have a typical basic chemical structure, and all increase activity at receptors for the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This transmitter blocks the activity of neurons, slowing down the brain and nervous system. Benzodiazepines differ mainly in how quickly they’re absorbed, how long their effects last, and the way long it takes them to go away the body.

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