COMPARISON OF BENZODIAZEPINES
| Benzodiazepine | Onset of Action2 | Peak Onset (hrs) | Half-life parent (hrs) |
Half-life |
Comparative Oral Dose |
| Long Acting | |||||
| Chlordiazepoxide (Librium®) | Int. (po) | 2-4(po) | 5-30 | 3-100 | 10 mg |
| Diazepam1 (Valium®) |
Rapid (po, IV) | 1(po) | 20-50 | 3-100 | 5 mg |
| Flurazepam (Dalmane®) |
Rapid | 0.5-2 | inactive | 47-100 | 30 mg |
| Intermediate Acting | |||||
| Alprazolam1 (Xanax®) |
Int. | 0.7-1.6 | 6-20 | - | 0.5mg |
| Clonazepam1 (Rivotril®) |
Int. | 1-4 | 18-39 | - | 0.25mg |
| Lorazepam1 (Ativan®) |
Int.
(po), |
1-1.5 (po) | 10-20 | - | 1mg |
| Oxazepam1 (Serax®) |
Slow | 2-3 | 3-21 | - | 15mg |
| Temazepam1 (Restoril®) |
Slow | 0.75-1.5 | 10-20 | - | 30mg |
| Short Acting | |||||
| Midazolam1 (Versed®) |
Most Rapid IV | 0.5-1 (IV |
1-4 | - | - |
| Triazolam (Halcion®) |
Int. | 0.75-2 | 1.6-5.5 | - | 0.5mg |
1 formulary at VHHSC
2 Rapid onset = within 15 minutes, Intermediate = 15-30 minutes, Slow
= 30-60 minutes