Abstract
The clinical anticonvulsant efficacy of single dose rectal and oral administration of diazepam 20 mg was examined in two double-blind placebo-controlled trials in adult epileptic patients. All subjects suffered from drug resistant epilepsy and frequently experienced serial seizures. Diazepam was administered rectally as a new experimental suppository formulation immediately after a seizure and was highly effective in preventing recurrent fits within a 24 h observation period (p less than 0.001). Pharmacokinetic studies revealed a wide range of serum diazepam concentrations 60 min after administration of the suppository (mean serum diazepam level 190 +/- 73 (SD ng/ml). In a similar study oral administration of diazepam 20 mg significantly reduced the incidence of serial seizures compared with a placebo (p less than 0.01) and the mean 60 min serum diazepam level was 273 +/- 190 (SD) ng/ml.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Dhillon S., Oxley J., Richens A. Bioavailability of diazepam after intravenous, oral and rectal administration in adult epileptic patients. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1982 Mar;13(3):427–432. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1982.tb01397.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Heckmatt J. Z., Houston A. B., Clow D. J., Strephenson J. B., Dodd K. L., Lealman G. T., Logan R. W. Failure of phenobarbitone to prevent febrile convulsions. Br Med J. 1976 Mar 6;1(6009):559–561. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6009.559. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Knudsen F. U. Rectal administration of diazepam in solution in the acute treatment of convulsions in infants and children. Arch Dis Child. 1979 Nov;54(11):855–857. doi: 10.1136/adc.54.11.855. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Knudsen F. U., Vestermark S. Prophylactic diazepam or phenobarbitone in febrile convulsions: a prospective, controlled study. Arch Dis Child. 1978 Aug;53(8):660–663. doi: 10.1136/adc.53.8.660. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Magnussen I., Oxlund H. R., Alsbirk K. E., Arnold E. Absorption of diazepam in man following rectal and parenteral administration. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenh) 1979 Aug;45(2):87–90. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0773.1979.tb02365.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Melchior J. C., Buchthal F., Lennox-Buchthal M. The ineffectiveness of diphenylhydantoin in preventing febrile convulsions in the age of greatest risk, under three years. Epilepsia. 1971 Mar;12(1):55–62. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1971.tb03915.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Milligan N., Dhillon S., Oxley J., Richens A. Absorption of diazepam from the rectum and its effect on interictal spikes in the EEG. Epilepsia. 1982 Jun;23(3):323–331. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1982.tb06198.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Milligan N., Dhillon S., Richens A., Oxley J. Rectal diazepam in the treatment of absence status: a pharmacodynamic study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1981 Oct;44(10):914–917. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.44.10.914. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thorn I. A controlled study of profylactic long-term treatment of febrile convulsions with phenobarbital. Acta Neurol Scand Suppl. 1975;60:67–73. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1975.tb01392.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]