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Tranquilizer/Anxiolytics: Benzodiazepines (Long-Acting) – Chlordiazepoxide, Clorazepate, Diazepam, Ethyl Loflazepate, Flutoprazepam, Medazepam, Mexazolam, Nitrazepam, Oxazolam

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NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy

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Abstract

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are powerful and widely used anxiolytics with robust and almost immediate symptoms relief, which have been used for over five decades for a variety of conditions. They continue to be prescribed for mood and anxiety disorders, neurological conditions, severe agitation, and sleep disturbances. Recently, with new evidence that emerged around BZDs problematic use, navigating BZDs risks and benefitis became challenging, with some clinicians continue to use BZDs as a long-term intervention, while others abandoning the idea of BZDs completely. This chapter aims to provide general information on BZDs pharmacological characteristics and to offer a balanced view on risks and benefits to guide clinical decision making using most up-to-date evidence-based findings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA

    Yuliya Knyahnytska

  2. Temerty Centre for Theraputic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, USA

    Yuliya Knyahnytska

  3. Research Volunteer, CAMH, Toronto, ON, USA

    Zara Abbaspour

  4. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Tetyana Kendzerska

  5. Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Tetyana Kendzerska

  6. The Ottawa Hospital Sleep Center, Civic Campus, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Tetyana Kendzerska

Authors
  1. Yuliya Knyahnytska
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  2. Zara Abbaspour
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  3. Tetyana Kendzerska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuliya Knyahnytska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Psychiatry , Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Medical School Clinical Neurochemistry, Würzburg, Germany

    Peter Riederer

  2. Inst für Psychologische Medizin, Haag, Bayern, Germany

    Gerd Laux

  3. Fujita Health University School Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    Toshiharu Nagatsu

  4. Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian Med Uni Shanghai Inst Health Sc Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian, China

    Weidong Le

  5. Würzburg, Bayern, Germany

    Christian Riederer

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Stefan Kloiber

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Knyahnytska, Y., Abbaspour, Z., Kendzerska, T. (2021). Tranquilizer/Anxiolytics: Benzodiazepines (Long-Acting) – Chlordiazepoxide, Clorazepate, Diazepam, Ethyl Loflazepate, Flutoprazepam, Medazepam, Mexazolam, Nitrazepam, Oxazolam. In: Riederer, P., Laux, G., Nagatsu, T., Le, W., Riederer, C. (eds) NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_406-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_406-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

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