Nitrazolam is a

triazolobenzodiazepine upChemical structure of alprazolam, a common triazolobenzodiazepine Triazolobenzodiazepines (TBZD) are a class of benzodiazepine (BZD) derivative pharmaceutical drugs. Chemically, they differ from other benzodiazepines by having an additional fu ...

(TBZD) , which are

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...

(BZD) derivatives, that has been sold online as a

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. Des ...

. It is closely related to

Clonazolam Clonazolam (also known as clonitrazolam) is a drug of the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It has had very little research done about its effects and metabolism, and has been so ...

Flunitrazolam Flunitrazolam (FNTZ, Flunazolam) is a triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD), which are benzodiazepine (BZD) derivatives, that has been sold online as a designer drug, and is a potent hypnotic and sedative drug similar to related compounds such as flun ...

, only differing by the removal of a

Chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

Fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

group respectively at the benzene ring. A study in mice indicated that nitrazolam can be several times more potent than

diazepam Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...

as an antagonist of electroshock-induced tonic-extensor convulsions but less potent than diazepam at preventing the

righting reflex The righting reflex, also known as the labyrinthine righting reflex, is a reflex that corrects the orientation of the body when it is taken out of its normal upright position. It is initiated by the vestibular system, which detects that the body is ...

. Nitrazolam has been used as an example compound to demonstrate the microscale synthesis of reference materials utilizing polymer‐supported reagents.

Legal Status

United Kingdom

In the UK, nitrazolam has been classified as a

Class C drug These drugs are known in the UK as ''controlled drugs'', because this is the term by which the act itself refers to them. In more general terms, however, many of these drugs are also controlled by the Medicines Act 1968, there are many other drug ...

by the May 2017 amendment to The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 along with several other designer benzodiazepine drugs.

References

Benzodiazepines Designer drugs GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators Triazolobenzodiazepines {{sedative-stub

Legal Status

United Kingdom

See also

References