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Vital Uses of Diazepam in Third World Countries

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The Benzodiazepines: Current Standards for Medical Practice

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Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has placed diazepam in the ‘list of essential drugs’, recommending that all countries include it among the approximately 250 indispensable medicaments to have available to patients (Anonymous, 1983). In many developing countries, diazepam is used for life-saving indications. In addition to its use in the treatment of anxiety and psychiatric disorders, diazepam has a vital role in the treatment of tetanus, status epilepticus, febrile seizures, eclampsia, cerebral malaria, alcohol withdrawal and chloroquine intoxication. Use of benzodiazepines in the treatment of status epilepticus is discussed in Chapter 9. Uses of diazepam that are unique to the Third World countries are discussed in the subsequent text.

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Authors
  1. John Ward BA
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pschiatry, San Fransisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, 116F, San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA

    D. R. Wesson MD

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© 1985 MTP Press Limited

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Ward, J. (1985). Vital Uses of Diazepam in Third World Countries. In: Smith, D.E., Wesson, D.R. (eds) The Benzodiazepines: Current Standards for Medical Practice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4886-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4886-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8663-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4886-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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