Diazepam can slow or stop your breathing, especially if you have recently used an opioid medication, alcohol, or other drugs that can slow your breathing.
MISUSE OF diazepam CAN CAUSE ADDICTION, OVERDOSE, OR DEATH. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it.
You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to diazepam or similar medicines (Klonopin>, Xanax, and others), or if you have myasthenia gravis, severe liver disease, narrow-angle glaucoma, a severe breathing problem, or sleep apnea.
MISUSE OF THIS MEDICINE CAN CAUSE ADDICTION, OVERDOSE, OR DEATH, especially in a child or other person using the medicine without a prescription.
Fatal side effects can occur if you use this medicine with opioid medicine, alcohol, or other drugs that cause drowsiness or slow your breathing.
Do not give this medication to a child younger than 6 months old.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use diazepam if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
myasthenia gravis (a muscle weakness disorder);
a severe breathing problem;
sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep);
narrow-angle glaucoma;
untreated or uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma; or
severe liver disease.
Diazepam should not be given to a child younger than 6 months old. Do not give this medicine to a child without a doctor's advice.
To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:
breathing problems;
glaucoma;
kidney or liver disease;
seizures (unless you are taking this medicine to treat a seizure disorder);
a drug or alcohol addiction; or
depression, a mood disorder, or suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Some people have thoughts about suicide while taking diazepam. Stay alert to changes in your mood or symptoms. Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor.
Do not start or stop taking diazepam to treat seizures during pregnancy without your doctor's advice. Having a seizure during pregnancy could harm both mother and baby. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant.
When treating anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, or muscle spasms: If you use diazepam while you are pregnant, your baby could become dependent on the drug. This can cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the baby after it is born. Babies born dependent on habit-forming medicine may need medical treatment for several weeks.
Do not breastfeed while using this medicine.
