Diazepam

What is diazepam?

Diazepam is a type of medicine called a benzodiazepine. Diazepam is often used to treat anxiety, nervousness, to calm your child before a medical procedure, or to treat certain kinds of seizures. It may also be used as a muscle relaxant to relieve muscle spasms.

You may hear diazepam called by its brand names, Valium or Diastat. Diazepam comes in tablet, injection, liquid, and rectal gel forms.

Before giving diazepam to your child

Tell your doctor if your child has a severe allergy to diazepam or other benzodiazepines.

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if your child has any of the following conditions. Precautions may need to be taken with this medicine if your child has:

• lung, liver, or kidney disease
• porphyria - genetic disorder where the body produces too much porphyrin
• psychiatric illness or a history of substance abuse
• hyperactivity
• sleep apnea
• myasthenia gravis

How should you give your child diazepam?

Follow these instructions when you give your child diazepam:

• Give your child diazepam exactly as your doctor or pharmacist tells you to. Give your child only the amount ordered by the doctor.
• If your child is to take diazepam regularly, give your child diazepam at the same times every day.
• The medicine may be given on an empty stomach or with a meal. If diazepam upsets your child's stomach, it may be given with food or milk to reduce the chance of an upset stomach.
• Diazepam is also available as a liquid, which can be used if your child cannot swallow tablets or if they have a feeding tube.
• If your child is getting diazepam by injection (needle), a nurse in the hospital will give a needle or shot of the medicine into a vein.
• Diazepam also can be given as a rectal gel into the rectum (bottom). Ask your nurse or pharmacist to explain how to give this to your child.
• You child should not stop taking diazepam until you have talked to their doctor first. Their doctor may want to slowly decrease the dose of diazepam before stopping to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

What should you do if your child misses a dose of diazepam?

• Give the missed dose as soon as you remember.
• If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Give the next dose at the regular time.
• Do not give your child two doses to make up for one missed dose.

What are the possible side effects of diazepam?

Your child may have some of these side effects while they take diazepam. Check with your child's doctor if your child continues to have any of these side effects, and they do not go away, or they bother your child:

• feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• drowsiness or tiredness
• dry mouth
• upset stomach including diarrhea (watery bowel movements)

Call your child's doctor during office hours if your child has any of these side effects:

• trembling, agitation, unusual restlessness, or excitement
• confusion, nightmares, or mental depression
• difficult or frequent urination
• blurred vision

Most of the following side effects are not common, but they may be a sign of a serious problem. Call your child's doctor right away or take your child to the Emergency Department if your child has any of these side effects:

• signs of an allergic reaction, such as trouble breathing, severe skin rash, hives (raised red lumps on skin), or swelling of the face, lips, mouth, or throat
• slow or irregular heartbeat
• unusual bruising or bleeding
• yellowing of the eyes or skin
• different or worsening seizures
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat

What safety measures should you take when your child is using diazepam?

Tell the doctor or dentist that your child is taking diazepam before your child has any kind of operation, even on the teeth, or an emergency treatment.

If your child takes diazepam regularly, do not stop giving it without checking with your child's doctor. The dose may need to be made smaller before stopping. If you stop giving the medicine suddenly, your child has a greater chance of having seizures.

Diazepam may make your child dizzy, drowsy, and less alert than normal. Watch carefully when your child is doing something that they need to be alert for, such as climbing stairs. If these side effects happen, tell your child's teacher that your child is taking a medicine that causes these side effects.

This medicine may make your child's mouth and throat dry. Sucking a hard sugarless candy or chewing sugarless gum will help your child feel more comfortable.

There are some medicines that should not be taken together with diazepam or in some cases the dose of diazepam or the other medicine may need to be adjusted. It is important that you tell your doctor and pharmacist if your child takes any other medications (prescription, over the counter, or herbal) including some medicines used to treat HIV, certain antibiotics and antifungals, St. John's Wort, and Ginkgo Biloba.

Some medicines may cause drowsiness, and should not be taken with diazepam. Examples include certain antihistamines (hay fever or allergy medicines), cold medicines, and sleeping medicine.

What other important information should you know about diazepam?

• Keep a list of all medications your child is on and show the list to the doctor or pharmacist.
• Do not share your child's medicine with others. Do not give anyone else's medicine to your child.
• Make sure you always have enough diazepam to last through weekends, holidays, and vacations. Call your pharmacy at least 2 days before your child runs out of medicine to order refills.
• Keep diazepam at room temperature in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Do NOT store it in the bathroom or kitchen.
• Do not keep any medicines that are out of date. Check with your pharmacist about the best way to throw away outdated or leftover medicines.
  

Keep diazepam out of your child’s sight and reach and locked up in a safe place. If your child takes too much diazepam, call your local Poison Information Centre at one of these numbers. These calls are free. 

• Call 1-844 POISON-X, or 1-844-764-7669, from anywhere in Canada except Quebec.
• Call 1-800-463-5060 if you live in Quebec.