Diazepam belongs to benzodiazepines. It is often used to relieve anxiety and abstinence from alcohol. Diazepam is also used to treat some epilepsy, to help relax muscles and relieve muscle spasm. Benzodiazepines are inhibitors of the central nervous system, which can slow down the response of the nervous system. Coffee - more specifically, the combination of coffee and caffeine - with diazepam reduces the efficacy of diazepam.
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span= "article-image inner caption-class"> A smiling woman poured a cup of coffee. (Picture: Digital Vision/Digital Vision/Getty Images)Coffee and Caffeine
Although you may think that coffee is only a drink, caffeine-containing coffee actually contains a psychotropic drug. Caffeine can affect your sleep, increase your blood pressure, and increase your metabolic rate. If you suddenly stop drinking caffeinated coffee, you may also be physically dependent on caffeine and have withdrawal symptoms. The stimulating effect of caffeine in coffee makes people who take diazepam feel uncomfortable.
According to Harvard Women's Health Survey, caffeine and anxiety are safe drinks for most people, but drinking a few cups of coffee a day can cause insomnia, increased anxiety and feelings of nervousness. According to a review published in 2000 by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, medical experts recommend that people with anxiety disorders reduce or eliminate caffeine in their diet.
Caffeine and diazepam, a study published in the Journal of Medical Biology in 1983, studied human subjects in four controlled double-blind trials. Participants in the study took diazepam or placebo capsules and then drank decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee with caffeine or decaffeinated coffee with theophylline. Caffeine at doses of 250 mg and 500 mg offset the effects of diazepam in some areas of the study. In a 1997 study of mice published in the Journal Life Sciences, researchers found that diazepam altered the effects of caffeine on the brain of mice. The interaction between diazepam and caffeine was reported in
Notes and Warnings
drugs.com. Caffeine could reduce the level of diazepam by 22%. Diazepam can make you dizzy or drowsy, especially if you take other drugs with similar effects. Some prescription and non-prescription drugs contain caffeine, so when you take diazepam, coffee is not the only problem. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you should not take diazepam, because it will harm the baby. If you regularly drink caffeinated coffee and take diazepam, consult your doctor. You may need to switch to decaffeinated or stop coffee altogether.