THE INFLUENCE OF THREE ANTACIDS ON THE ABSORPTION AND CLINICAL ACTION OF ORAL DIAZEPAM

Diazepam 10 mg given orally alone or with one of the three antacids (aluminium hydroxide 40 ml, magnesium trisilicate 30 ml, sodium citrate 30 ml) was given in a single dose at random to 200 women undergoing minor gynaecological procedures. The concomitant use of aluminium hydroxide or sodium citrate hastened the onset of the soporific effect of diazepam marginally, while magnesium trisilicate tended to delay it. The estimation of plasma diazepam concentrations over 90 min in a similar series of 67 patients showed that the absorption of diazepam was increased significantly by the use of aluminium hydroxide, but there were no striking differences in the four groups. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed