Can Valium Cause a Seizure?

Valium or diazepam is a type of benzodiazepine medicine. These medicines affect various chemicals present in the human brain, which may become unbalanced in individuals suffering from anxiety problems. Valium has found its prime role in the treatment of anxiety disorders, symptoms related to withdrawal of alcohol or spasms of muscles.

Before we should analysis the way, in which valium treats seizure, it is essential for us to discuss and understand the problem of seizure.

Seizure takes place because of abnormal discharge of various electrical stimulations in the human brain. In addition, the problem may take place because of salt imbalances in the human blood, poisoning, brain/head injury, gastrointestinal problems and wide range of brain problems, like malformed blood vessel, tumor or anything that leads to sudden lack of adequate oxygen supply in the human brain.

First of all, Valium is a benzodiazepine which is effectively used in treatment of seizures. It is not recommended to use valium for pregnant women as it may cause problems for the baby. Also, valium is addictive medicine. If you are planning to become pregnant then you should inform your doctor about the intake of valium. You should also never stop or start valium usage during pregnancy.

The answer to the question, can valium cause a seizure? The only way a valium can lead to a seizure is by stooping the intake of this medicine abruptly. When you stop valium intake abruptly then there is a high chance of getting seizure.

Depending on the specific part of brain, it effects; seizures may be of different categories. For instance, if only a particular part of the brain effects, the seizure is a partial one, while if the problem causes in the entire brain, the problem implies generalized seizures.

Partial seizures may further be of two different types i.e. complex partial and simple partial seizures. On the other side, generalized seizures may be of two different types, which are petit mal i.e. absence and grand mal i.e. tonic-clonic seizures.

Doctors and neurologists mainly consider tonic-clonic i.e. grand mal type of seizures as the severe forms of seizures. Reason for this is that a tonic-clonic seizure consists of two different phases, in which during the clonic phase, body of a patient extremities twitch and jerk. Once the seizure completes, consciousness of the patient returns in a slow way.

Valium drug is responsible to manage hypothalamic, thalamic and limbic regions present in the patients’ central nervous system. In fact, the medicine calms the central nervous system of a patient and hence, it treats various anxiety related conditions and disorders, which may cause severe muscular convulsions and spasms. A patient has to administer Valium rectally and particularly, liquid Valium absorbs fast via one’s rectum. Effect takes place after 5 minutes or 15 minutes after the Valium injection.

Moreover, Valium is helpful to treat patients, when they experience seizures in the form of clusters. Valium thus is helpful in stopping or in reducing the frequency of seizures in patients.

However, Valium has side effects, as after neurologist injects the medicine, the patient remains tired for about 2 to 3 days or may even require more numbers of days to regain the necessary physical strength. Another problem with this type of medication is that it cures the problem on a temporary basis. If a patient uses it regularly, her body becomes dependent on it.

Therefore, Valium is useful in treatment of particularly grand mal seizures and that too during only emergencies. Moreover, valium is a shot acting medicine, because of which it may again cause the problem of seizures, whenever you stop taking it.