Prazepam

Key takeaways

Prazepam belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prazepam to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prazepam from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative drug developed by Warner-Lambert in the 1960s. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. Prazepam, (Elimination half-life 29-224h), is a prodrug for desmethyldiazepam, (Elimination half-life 36-200h), which is responsible for the therapeutic effects of prazepam.

Indications Prazepam is indicated for the short-term treatment of anxiety. After short-term therapy, the dose is usually gradually tapered-off to reduce or avoid any withdrawal or rebound effects. Desmethyldiazepam, an active metabolite, has a very long half-life of 36 to 200 hours, which contributes to the therapeutic effects of prazepam.

Side effects Side effects of prazepam are less profound than with other benzodiazepines. Excessive drowsiness and with longer-term use, drug dependence, are the most common side effects of prazepam. Side effects such as fatigue or "feeling spacey" can also occur but less commonly than with other benzodiazepines. Other side effects include feebleness, clumsiness or lethargy, clouded thinking and mental slowness.

Tolerance, dependence and withdrawal

Tolerance and dependence can develop with long-term use of prazepam, and upon cessation or reduction in dosage, then a benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome may occur with symptoms such as tremulousness, dysphoria, psychomotor agitation, tachycardia and sweating. In severe cases, hallucinations, psychosis and seizures can occur. Withdrawal-related psychosis is generally unresponsive to antipsychotic mediations. The risk and severity of the withdrawal syndrome increases the higher the dose and the longer prazepam is taken for. Tolerance, dependence and withdrawal problems may be less severe than with other benzodiazepines, such as diazepam. It may be because tolerance is slower to develop with prazepam than with other benzodiazepines. Abrupt or over-rapid discontinuation of prazepam after long-term use, even at low dosage, may result in a protracted withdrawal syndrome. Benzodiazepines can induce serious problems of addiction, which is one of the main reasons for their use being restricted to short-term use. A survey in Senegal found that the majority of doctors believed that their training in this area was generally poor. It was recommended that national authorities take urgent action regarding the rational use of benzodiazepines. Almost one-fifth of doctors ignored prescription guidelines regarding short-term use of benzodiazepines, and almost three-quarters of doctors regarded their training and knowledge of benzodiazepines to be inadequate. More training regarding benzodiazepines has been recommended for doctors.

Contraindications and special caution Benzodiazepines require special precaution if used in the elderly, during pregnancy, in children, alcohol or drug-dependent individuals and individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders.

Mechanism of action Prazepam exerts its therapeutic effects primarily via modulating the benzodiazepine site which in turn enhances GABA function in the brain. Prazepam like other benzodiazepines has anticonvulsant properties, but its anticonvulsant properties are not as potent as other benzodiazepines when tested in animal studies.

Pharmacokinetics Prazepam is metabolised into descyclopropylmethylprazepam (also known as desmethyldiazepam) and 3-hydroxyprazepam which is further metabolised into oxazepam. Prazepam is a prodrug for descyclopropylmethylprazepam/desmethyldiazepam (also known as norprazepam or nordazepam) which is responsible for most of the therapeutic activity of prazepam rather than prazepam itself.

Interactions Prazepam may interact with cimetidine. Alcohol in combination with prazepam increases the adverse effects, particularly performance impairing side effects and drowsiness.

Overdose

The symptoms of an overdose of prazepam include sleepiness, agitation and ataxia. Hypotonia may also occur in severe cases. Overdoses in children typically result in more severe symptoms of overdose.

Abuse potential

Prazepam like other benzodiazepines has abuse potential and can be habit forming. However, its abuse potential may be lower than other benzodiazepines because it has a slow onset of action.

Toxicity Animal studies have found prazepam taken during pregnancy results in delayed growth and causes reproductive abnormalities.

Trade names Common trade names include Centrac, Centrax, Demetrin, Lysanxia, Mono Demetrin, Pozapam, Prasepine, Prazene, Reapam and Trepidan. Trade names vary depending on the country; Austria: Demetrin, Belgium: Lysanxia, France: Lysanxia, Germany: Demetrin; Mono Demetrin, Greece: Centrac, Ireland: Centrax, Italy: Prazene; Trepidan, Macedonia: Demetrin, Prazepam, Netherlands: Reapam, Portugal: Demetrin, South Africa: Demetrin, Switzerland: Demetrin, Thailand: Pozapam; Prasepine.

See also Benzodiazepine Benzodiazepine dependence Long-term effects of benzodiazepines

References

External links Inchem – Prazepam

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prazepam

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prazepam claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prazepam before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prazepam ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prazepam

In research: Prazepam appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prazepam in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prazepam is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Benzodiazepines, Chloroarenes, Cyclopropyl compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prazepam outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Prazepam in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prazepam means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prazepam out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prazepam in simple terms?

Prazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative drug developed by Warner-Lambert in the 1960s. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties.

Why does Prazepam matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prazepam?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prazepam.