A COMPARISON OF LORAZEPAM AND DIAZEPAM AS ORAL PREMEDICANTS FOR SURGERY UNDER REGIONAL ANAESTHESIA

Abstract

A double-blind study comparing lorazepam 2 mg with diazepam 10 mg as oral pre-medicants for Nigerian patients undergoing different types of surgical procedures is reported. Both lorazepam and diazepam have been shown to possess adequate hypnotic-sedative properties with no side effects in the doses employed. Lorazepam has been shown to produce a higher incidence of anterograde amnesia than diazepam. Although the study was carried out on a small number of patients, the findings suggest that lorazepam would be more acceptable than diazepam as a premedicant for surgery under regional anaesthesia.