Diazepam

Diazepam: an overview for bipolar disorder.

Diazepam is a drug commonly used for treating anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal, seizures, insomnia and painful muscle conditions. Diazepam is more commonly known as Valuim.
Hoffman-LaRoche has manufactured Diazepam since 1960. Hoffman-LaRoche, founded in 1896, was first known as vitamin producers. In 1957 it introduced the class of tranquilizers known as benzodiazepines (with Valium and Rohypnol being the best known members). In the 1960's, Hoffman -La Roche merged all its laboratories and formed Roche Biomedical Laboratories with its headquarters in Burlington, North Carolina. Since its inception, Diazepam has been one of the most frequently prescribed medications for over fourty years.

Consumers can feel safe using Diazepam for short term relief of many medical conditions. Anxiety disorders are the most common use for prescribing this drug. Dentists will use Diazepam to calm the nervous patient before a procedure. Emergency rooms will use the drug to stop seizures in a patient so that medical treatment can be rendered. When prescribed for alcohol or opiate withdrawal, Diazepam has immediate effects on the patient because it enters the body quickly. It may also be used before certain medical procedures to reduce tension and anxiety, and in some surgical procedures to induce amnesia.

Other drugs produced by Roche Biomedical Laboratories include Xenical (Over the counter known as Alli), Roaccutane, Zenapax, Valcyte, Bactrim, Tarceva, CellCept, Bonviva, Xeloda and Tamiflu. While none of the aforementioned drugs are in the same classification as Diazepam, the name recognition and world wide useage of these drugs speaks for itself.
Comparable products on the market are Xanax, Halcion and Lorazepam. While these products are quite similar to Diazepam, each are used generally for a specific ailment and are not as common as Diazepam.

Diazepam has been rated as an Essential Medicine for a basic health care system by the World Health Organization.

Author: C. Anders, BiPolar Disorder Product Reviews