I learned this today. Diazepam is a benzodiazepine drug that works by increasing the amount of a chemical called GABA in the brain to inhibit electrical impulses.
GABA is Gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is a chemical that your brain produces. It is an amino acid and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. It inhibits brain signals and decreases nervous system activity. Electrical signals are sent through the brain when an electrical difference builds up in a neuron. GABA inhibits that by allowing chloride ions to conduct out of the cell, reducing its ability to create an electric potential and fire. If it cannot fire, it cannot send a signal. Because of this, GABA can sedate the brain. It can reduce anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, muscle spasms, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and other things that are caused by the brain overfiring.
Diazepam was invented by Leo Sternbach in 1963. In 1954 he started to work for a company called Hoffmann-La Roche. These days it is just called Roche. They wanted him to make a safer barbiturate. He came up with lots of compounds, but none of them seemed to work so he shelved the research. In 1960, he went back to one of the compounds he had shelved and retested it. He discovered that it was exactly what he was looking for. It was a benzodiazepine drug and he called it Librium.
With the success of Librium, Sternbach continued researching and three years later he came up with Diazepam, which he called Valium. The tablets were all stamped with a V for Valium, although I can’t help thinking how much it looks like a heart.
Leo Sternbach also invented Dalmane, Mogadon, Rohypnol, Klonopin, and Arfonad. He held 241 patents during his life but they never made him rich. All of his discoveries were sold by the company he worked for, Roche. Sternbach never seemed to mind, though. He loved chemistry and he did it for the chance to do chemistry. He was happy and kept working well into his 90s.
Up until Sternbach came to work for Roche, they were only known for selling vitamin supplements. Leo Sternbach turned the company’s fortunes around with his discoveries and they made a huge amount of money. Today, Roche is worth over 63 billion dollars and they are a pharmaceutical giant. They are the fourth largest pharmaceutical company in the world. What they have done since Sternbach’s invention of Valium has been impressive, but without his invention, they probably wouldn’t have been able to start. The company held the patent for Valium until 1985, when it expired.
Valium became hugely popular after its introduction and by 1975, 70% of tranquilizer antidepressants sold were Valium. Sales peaked in 1978 when two billion tablets were sold. However, several high profile people were seen to be misusing Valium and fears began to set in. When Elvis was found dead in 1977, he had taken a significant amount of Valium. He had also taken a lot of other drugs, but people tended to focus on the Valium. The Justice Department became involved and Valium was designated a Schedule IV controlled substance. Sales fell.
Currently, sales of Valium are hovering at around 15 million a year. It has fallen behind its main rival alprazolam, known as Xanax. They are similar benzodiazepines, but Xanax is eliminated from the body more quickly than Valium.
Valium, like any drug, can be addictive. Also, the body can build up a tolerance to it. Valium is usually only prescribed for a short amount of time because of this tolerance. If someone takes Valium for a long time, they may slowly have to increase the dose in order to have the same effects.
Valium can be dangerous, but it isn’t typically fatal. An average adult would have to take a massive dose of Valium for it to be fatal. Most overdoses happen because people mix Valium with other drugs, such as opiates or alcohol. The combination of all of these drugs can be fatal. In 2017, in America, there were 11,537 drug overdose deaths that involved Valium.
So, Valium is a benzodiazepine that works by inhibiting the neurotransmitters in the brain. It is usually used as an antidepressant for this reason. And this is what I learned today.
Photo By Fr0sty $ummer – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49949064
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-464/gamma-aminobutyric-acid-gaba
https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/brain-nervous-system/a6560/diazepam/
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-long-does-valium-stay-in-your-system-80344
https://www.drugs.com/tips/valium-patient-tips
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/diazepam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diazepam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Sternbach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roche
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABAA_receptor
https://www.drugs.com/valium.html
https://drugabuse.com/benzodiazepines/valium/history-and-statistics/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-anxious-history-of-valium-1384547451
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/valium-addiction/valium-overdose/