How Long Does Diazepam Take to Work for Anxiety

Diazepam is an effective medicine to calm various levels of anxiety, fits and muscle spasms. In most patients, the medicine usually takes 1 or 1.5 hours to show its peak effects. Since Diazepam metabolizes by triggering metabolites, it may take up to 24 hours to wear off from your body. In some patients, the duration of wearing Diazepam may be longer than 24 hours.

The speed of Diazepam showing its impact may vary depending on many variables. The effect may also vary for different symptoms you are taking it for.

For anxiety, Diazepam should exhibit its effect within a few hours, and the symptoms should be fully treated within two weeks.
If you are taking Diazepam for fits or seizures in the rectal tube, the symptoms should improve after 10 minutes.
In case of muscle spasms, symptoms may improve within 15 minutes. However, complete relaxation of muscles will occur if you take Diazepam regularly for a few weeks.

However, there are conditions where Diazepam's effects may differ for several reasons.

Common Interactions of Diazepam

Most of the patients take Diazepam with other medicines, and this interaction impacts the effectiveness of the drug to a great extent. It may leave Diazepam to lose its effectiveness and reduce or increase its side effects. Discuss with your healthcare provider how to manage the dosage of Diazepam with other medicines.

The most common interaction of Diazepam can be the following.

Doctors usually prescribe other medicines from the benzodiazepines group to treat anxieties. They may prescribe oxezepam or lorazepam.
To calm the muscle spasm, they may suggest valproate or other anticonvulsants.
If you are consuming Diazepam to treat depression, the interaction can be imipramine, amitriptyline or nortriptyline.
Sometimes, Diazepam can be paired with antihistamines like diphenhydramine.
Diazepam can also interact with oral contraceptives, and you must consult your physician and gynaecologist before consuming both medicines simultaneously.

You may find many other muscle relaxants, sleeping pills and medicines to treat mental health issues which may interact with Diazepam and impact its effectiveness.