TaperCareby FeelGround
Integrative mental health
← Benzodiazepines

Diazepam

Also known as Valium · Benzodiazepine (long-acting)

Withdrawal risk: High

What it's used for

  • Anxiety
  • Muscle spasm
  • Alcohol withdrawal
  • Seizures

Read about: Alcohol use disorder

How it works: Enhances the calming effect of GABA at GABA-A receptors.

Common side effects

  • Drowsiness
  • Poor coordination
  • Memory problems
  • Dependence

Tapering considerations

  • Its long half-life makes it the drug the Ashton Manual uses for gradual tapering.
  • Liquid and 2 mg tablets allow small steps.
Why smaller steps near the end →

For prescribers & facilitators

  • Ashton equivalence: 10 mg diazepam ≈ 0.5 mg alprazolam ≈ 0.5 mg clonazepam ≈ 1 mg lorazepam (approximate).
  • Withdrawal can include seizures if stopped abruptly.

Sources

  1. 01
    Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (The Ashton Manual)

    Prof. C. Heather Ashton, Newcastle University, 2002

  2. 02
    FDA requires Boxed Warning updated for benzodiazepines

    U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2020

  3. 03
  4. 04
    The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines

    Horowitz & Taylor, Wiley-Blackwell, 2024