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Valium advertisement, 1971 Hospital & Community Psychiatry, Vol. 22, No. 4. Her world orbits around doctors. Psychic tension rules her universe. Neurologist ~ General Practitioner ~ Gastroenterologist ~ Gynecologist ~ Allergist Husband (deceased) ~ Father (deceased) ~ Mother ~ Older Sister This childless widow's interpersonal relationships, sociometrically diagrammed, reveal the patterns of dominance, closeness, absence, and loss created by the principal people in her life. Her mother's obvious preference for her older sister has always rankled this patient. The deaths of her father and husband accentuated her alienation and hostility. Hypochondriasis is the way she disowns her conflicts. While you gradually turn her away from somatic concerns and guide her through old, hidden problem areas, you can ease her undue psychic tension with Valium® (diazepam). Valium 10-mg tablets q.i.d. can help most psychoneurotic patients undergoing severe psychic tension and apprehension with or without associated depressive symptoms. The fourth tablet taken at bedtime, can combat anxiety-induced sleeplessness. For less severe tension states, Valium 5-mg tablets t.i.d. or q.i.d. may be adequate. Drowsiness, fatigue and ataxia are the most commonly reported side effects. Tailor the dosage to the individual -- a procedure facilitated by the three convenient tablet strengths. For hypochondriacs -- and many other types of psychoneurotic patients walled in by situational stress -- Valium, by relieving psychic tension, may prove itself a useful adjunct to your healing skills. By relieving undue psychic tension, it can help: ease patients into therapy, lessen emotional stress reaction to crisis situations, improve communication, reduce tension-induced insomnia, relieve stress-induced psychosomatic symptoms, support the patient between therapeutic sessions. Indications: Tension and anxiety states; somatic complaints which are concomitants of emotional factors; psychoneurotic states manifested by tension, anxiety, apprehension, fatigue, depressive symptoms or agitation; symptomatic relief of acute agitation, tremor, delirium tremens and hallucinosis due to acute alcohol withdrawal; adjunctively in skeletal muscle spasm due to reflex spasm to local pathology, spasticity caused by upper motor neuron disorders, athetosis, stiff-man syndrome, convulsive disorders (not for sole therapy). Warnings: Not of value in psychotic patients. Caution against hazardous occupations requiring complete mental alertness. When used adjunctively in convulsive disorders, possibility of increase in frequency and/or severity of grand mal seizures may require increased dosage of standard anticonvulsant medication; abrupt withdrawal may be associated with temporary increase in frequency and/or severity of seizures. Advise against simultaneous ingestion of alcohol and other CNS depressants. Withdrawal symptoms (similar to those with barbiturates and alcohol) have occurred following abrupt discontinuance (convulsions, tremor, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting and sweating). Keep addiction-prone individuals under careful surveillance because of their predisposition to habituation and dependence. In pregnancy, lactation, or women of childbearing age, weigh potential benefit against possible hazard. Side Effects: Drowsiness, confusion, diplopia, hypotension, changes in libido, nausea, fatigue, depression, dysarthria, jaundice, skin rash, ataxia, constipation, headache, incontinence, changes in salivation, slurred speech, tremor, vertigo, urinary retention, blurred vision. Paradoxical reactions such as acute hyperexcited states, anxiety, hallucinations, increased muscle spasticity, insomnia, rage, sleep disturbances, stimulation have been reported; should these occur, discontinue drug. Isolated reports of neutropenia, jaundice; periodic blood counts and liver function test advisable during long-term therapy. Supplied: Valium® (diazepam) Tablets, 2 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg; bottles of 100 and 500. All strengths also available in Tel-E-Dose T.M. packages of 1000. Roche Laboratories ~ Division of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. ~ Nutley, N.J. 07110 |