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# Anti-anxiety Medicines | |
# Diazepam | |
Diazepam can be used to relax muscles and calm the person. It can | |
also be used to stop a single seizure. For people with ongoing | |
seizures (epilepsy), use a different medicine, one that can be taken | |
every day. | |
## Side effects | |
Sleepiness. | |
## Important! | |
* Too much diazepam can slow down or stop breathing. Do not give | |
more than the recommended dose and do not give more than 2 doses. | |
* Diazepam is a habit-forming (addictive) drug. Avoid long-term or | |
frequent use. | |
* Do not give during pregnancy or breastfeeding unless the woman | |
has a seizure (for example, due to eclampsia). | |
* Do not inject diazepam unless you have experience or training to | |
do so. It is very difficult to give safely by injection. Instead, | |
during a seizure, you can put it into the rectum (see below). | |
# How to use | |
Pill | |
To relax muscles and calm a person: | |
Give diazepam tablets by mouth 45 minutes before a painful procedure | |
like pushing in a hernia or setting a bone. | |
For children, give 0.2 to 0.3 mg per kg. If you cannot weigh the | |
person, dose by age: | |
* 2 to 6 years: give 1 mg. | |
* 7 to 12 years: give 5 mg. | |
* Over 12 years: give 10 mg. | |
For a seizure: | |
Use the liquid solution for injection, or grind up 1 tablet and mix | |
with water. Take the needle off a syringe, then draw up the | |
medication and put it inside the rectum. Or use diazepam gel made | |
for use in the rectum. Lay the person on her side and use the | |
needle-less syringe to put the medicine deep into her rectum. Then | |
hold her buttocks together for 10 minutes to keep the medicine in. | |
* Under 7 years: give 0.2 mg per kg, one time. | |
* 7 to 12 years: give 3 to 5 mg, one time. | |
* Over 12 years: give 5 to 10 mg, one time. | |
If the seizure is not controlled 15 minutes after giving the | |
medicine, repeat the dose. Do not repeat more than once. | |
# Lorazepam | |
Lorazepam is very similar to diazepam. It can be used to relax | |
muscles and calm the person. It can also be used to stop a single | |
seizure. For people with ongoing seizures (epilepsy), use a | |
different medicine, one that can be taken every day. | |
## Side effects | |
Sleepiness. | |
## Important | |
* Too much lorazepam can slow down or stop breathing. | |
* Lorazepam is a habit-forming (addictive) drug. Avoid long-term | |
or frequent use. | |
* Do not give during pregnancy unless there is severe pre-eclampsia | |
or seizures. | |
* Do not inject lorazepam into a muscle or vein unless you have | |
experience or training to do so. It is very difficult to give | |
safely by injection. Instead, during a seizure, you can put it | |
into the rectum (see above). | |
## How to use | |
Pill | |
To relax muscles and calm a person: | |
Give lorazepam tablets by mouth 45 minutes before a painful procedure | |
like setting a bone. | |
* 1 month to 12 years: give 0.05 mg per kg, one time. | |
* Over 12 years: give 1 to 2 mg, one time. | |
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