Diazepam is a medication of the benzodiazepine family that typically produces a calming effect. It has anticonvulsant properties. Diazepam has no effect on GABA levels and no effect on glutamate decarboxylase activity, but has a slight effect on gamma-amino butyric acid transaminase activity. Diazepam can be administered orally, intravenously intramuscularly (IM), or as a suppository. When administered orally, it is rapidly absorbed and has a fast onset of action. The onset of action is one to five minutes for IV administration and 15–30 minutes for IM administration. The duration of diazepam’s peak pharmacological effects is 15 minutes to one hour for both routes of administration. The bioavailability after oral administration is 100% and 90% after rectal administration. Peak plasma levels occur between 30 and 90 minutes after oral administration and between 30 and 60 minutes after intramuscular administration; after rectal administration, peak plasma levels occur after 10 to 45 minutes. Diazepam is highly protein-bound, with 96 to 99% of the absorbed drug being protein-bound. The distribution half-life of diazepam is 2 to 13 minutes. When diazepam is administered IM, absorption is slow, erratic, and incomplete.
The Multi-Drug Rapid Test Panel yields a positive result when the concentration of Diazepam in urine exceeds detective level.