Generic Valium, known as Diazepam is an anti-anxiety medication in the benzodiazepine family, the same family that includes alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin),  lorazepam (Ativan), flurazepam (Dalmane), and others. Diazepam and other  benzodiazepines act by enhancing the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter (a chemical that nerve cells use to communicate with each other) that inhibits activity in the brain. It is believed that excessive activity in the brain may lead to anxiety or other psychiatric disorders.

Generic Valium (Diazepam), first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche, is a benzodiazepine derivative drug. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, muscle spasms, restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, and Ménière’s disease. It may also be used before certain medical procedures (such as endoscopies) to reduce tension and anxiety, and in some surgical procedures to induce amnesia.It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative, skeletal muscle relaxant, and amnestic properties.

Generic Valium (Diazepam) is a core medicine in the World Health Organization’s “Essential Drugs List,” which is a list of minimum medical needs for a basic health care system. Generic Valium (Diazepam) is used to treat a wide range of conditions and has been one of the most frequently prescribed medications in the world for the past 40 years. It was first synthesized by Dr. Leo Sternbach.

Generic Valium (Diazepam) is mainly used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and symptoms of acute alcohol or opiate withdrawal. It is also used as a premedication for inducing sedation, anxiolysis or amnesia before certain medical procedures (e.g., endoscopy).

Intravenous Generic Valium (Diazepam) or lorazepam are first line treatments for status epilepticus. Generic Valium (Diazepam) is rarely used for the long-term treatment of epilepsy because tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects of Generic Valium (Diazepam) usually develops within 6 to 12 months of treatment, effectively rendering it useless for this purpose.

Generic Valium (Diazepam) has a broad spectrum of indications (most of which are off-label), including:

* Treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, and states of agitation
* Adjunctive treatment of other forms of epilepsy
* Treatment of neurovegetative symptoms associated with vertigo
* Treatment of the symptoms of alcohol, opiate and benzodiazepine withdrawal
* Short-term treatment of insomnia
* Treatment of tetanus, together with other measures of intensive-treatment
* Adjunctive treatment of spastic muscular paresis (para-/tetraplegia) caused by cerebral or spinal cord conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury (long-term treatment is coupled with other rehabilitative measures)
* Palliative treatment of stiff person syndrome
* Pre-/postoperative sedation, anxiolysis and/or amnesia (e.g., before endoscopic or surgical procedures)
* Treatment of overdosage with hallucinogens or CNS stimulants
* Adjunctive treatment of drug-induced seizures, resulting from exposure to sarin, VX, soman, lindane, chloroquine, physostigmine, or pyrethroids
* Emergency treatment of eclampsia, along with IV magnesium sulfate
* Prophylactic treatment of oxygen toxicity during hyperbaric oxygen therapy
* Used in the treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
* Used to treat pain resulting from muscle spasms caused by various dystonias, including blepharospasm

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to Generic Valium (Diazepam), or if you have myasthenia gravis, severe liver disease, narrow-angle glaucoma, a severe breathing problem, or sleep apnea. This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Do not use diazepam if you are pregnant.

Before taking Generic Valium (Diazepam), tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, asthma or other breathing problems, kidney or liver disease, seizures, or a history of drug or alcohol addiction, mental illness, depression, or suicidal thoughts.

Do not drink alcohol while taking Generic Valium (Diazepam). This medication can increase the effects of alcohol.

Never take more of this medication than your doctor has prescribed. An overdose of Generic Valium (Diazepam) can be fatal.

Generic Valium (Diazepam) may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. This medication should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it.