Sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers

Explains what sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers are used for, how the medication works, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.

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Comparing benzodiazepines

This page has information to help you compare different benzodiazepines. It has tables for comparing benzodiazepines mainly used for anxiety, and for comparing benzodiazepines mainly used for insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep).

It also has information explaining how benzodiazepines differ from each other.

Some of the drugs in these tables have more than one name. You might know a drug by its generic name or its trade name. See our page on drug names for more information.

Comparing benzodiazepines mainly used for anxiety

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Long-acting drugs
Generic name	Trade names	Form	Half-life	Dietary considerations
chlordiazepoxide	Librium Tropium	capsules tablets	36 to 200 hours	contains lactose
clonazepam	Rivotril	tablets oral liquid	20 to 60 hours	tablets contain lactose
diazepam	Diazemuls Diazepam RecTubes Stesolid Tensium	tablets oral liquid injectable liquid rectal tubes suppositories	36 to 200 hours	tablets contain lactose
Short-acting drugs
alprazolam	Xanax	tablets	12 to 15 hours	contains lactose
lorazepam	Ativan	tablets injectable liquid	10 to 20 hours	tablets contain lactose
oxazepam	none	tablets	6 to 20 hours	contains lactose

Comparing benzodiazepines mainly used as sleeping pills

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Long-acting drugs
Generic name	Trade names	Form	Half-life	Dietary considerations
nitrazepam	Mogadon	tablets	24 to 40 hours	contains lactose
Short-acting drugs
loprazolam	none	tablets	6 to 12 hours	contains lactose
lormetazepam	Dormagen	tablets	10 to 12 hours	contains lactose
temazepam	none	tablets oral liquid	5 to 15 hours	tablets contain lactose

Different medications work for different people. Lorazepam suited me at the time I was in crisis, and diazepam suits me better in the longer term.

How benzodiazepines differ from each other

There are several ways in which benzodiazepines are different from each other:

Length of half-life

Some benzodiazepines act on your brain and body for longer than others. The half-life of each drug is a helpful way to understand how long a drug’s effects may last.

Short-acting benzodiazepines have a shorter half-life. This means that the drugs are processed and leave your body more quickly. Short-acting drugs have a higher risk of withdrawal symptoms. This is because your body has less time to adapt to working without the drug once you stop taking it.

Long-acting benzodiazepines have a longer half-life. This means that the drugs are processed by your body more slowly and take longer to leave the body. You are more likely to experience a ‘hangover’ effect when taking these drugs. But you are less likely to have withdrawal problems.

Generally, short-acting benzodiazepines are used as sleeping pills and long-acting benzodiazepines are used for anxiety. But this is not always the case. Some drugs for anxiety may help you sleep if you take them at night. And lower doses of sleeping pills may help you feel calm if you take them during the day.

Potency (strength)

Benzodiazepines can have different levels of potency. This is to do with the strength of the chemical reaction that each drug causes in your body.

If you take a lower dose of a high-potency benzodiazepine, this may cause similar effects to a higher dose of a low-potency benzodiazepine.

Metabolisation (breakdown in the body)

Benzodiazepines are broken down by the body in different ways. This process is known as your body metabolising the drug.

Some benzodiazepine drugs, such as diazepam, produce further benzodiazepine chemicals when they are metabolised. These additional chemicals stay in your body and make the overall effect of the drug last longer.

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This information was published in April 2021. We will revise it in 2024.

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