Clinical Importance of the Interaction of Diazepam and Cimetidine

Abstract

Cimetidine is known to impair the hepatic microsomal oxidation of diazepam, reducing its clearance and prolonging its half-life. We studied the clinical importance of this effect in 10 patients, who were receiving long-term treatment with diazepam for anxiety, tension, or difficulty in sleeping, in an eight-week double-blind controlled study during which the diazepam dosage remained constant. The study was in four two-week phases: base-line or adaptation, coadministration of cimetidine (300 mg) or matching placebo four times daily, crossover to the opposite treatment (placebo or cimetidine), and recovery treatment with diazepam alone.