This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (86)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Report of a Case

Jeffrey S. Pevnick, MD; Donald R. Jasinski, MD; Charles A. Haertzen, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1978;35(8):995-998.

Abstract
• Subjective, behavioral, and physiologic changes followed abrupt withdrawal of diazepam (Valium) in a patient who had been treated with 30 to 45 mg of diazepam daily for 20 months. Precipitous weight loss and orthostatic pulse rate increase were a part of the abstinence syndrome, which occurred between the fifth and ninth days of withdrawal. Accompanying these changes in physiologic measures were discomforting symptoms and dysphoria that were aversive and reinforcing to drug taking since the patient sought diazepam administration. These observations suggest that changes in mood, feeling states, and behavior may be the most prominent characteristics of the abstinence syndrome associated with physical dependence on this dose level of diazepam.

Author Affiliations
From the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Division of Research, Addiction Research Center, Lexington, Ky. Dr Pevnick is now with the Missouri Institute of Psychiatry, St Louis.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 7, 1977.

Reprint requests to National Institute on Drug Abuse, Division of Research, Addiction Research Center, PO Box 12390, Lexington, KY 40583 (Dr Jasinski).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Flumazenil Provocation of Panic Attacks: Evidence for Altered Benzodiazepine Receptor Sensitivity in Panic Disorder
Nutt et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1990;47:917-925.
ABSTRACT  

Alprazolam Augmentation of the Antipsychotic Effects of Fluphenazine in Schizophrenic Patients: Preliminary Results
Wolkowitz et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:664-671.
ABSTRACT  

Withdrawal After Substitution of a Short-Acting for a Long-Acting Benzodiazepine
Conell and Berlin
JAMA 1983;250:2838-2840.
ABSTRACT  

Withdrawal Reaction From Long-term, Low-dosage Administration of Diazepam: A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Case Study
Winokur et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1980;37:101-105.
ABSTRACT  

Acute Toxic and Withdrawal Reactions Associated with Drug Use and Abuse
KHANTZIAN and McKENNA
ANN INTERN MED 1979;90:361-372.
ABSTRACT