Ketazolam (marketed under the brand names Anseren, Ansieten, Ansietil, Marcen, Sedatival, Sedotime, Solatran and Unakalm) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It possesses

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxiet ...

, anticonvulsant, sedative and

skeletal muscle relaxant A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeu ...

properties.

Therapeutic uses

It is used for the treatment of anxiety and has similar effectiveness compared to diazepam. Ketazolam also appears to produce reduced levels of side effects such as sedation compared with

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, ...

and the side effects when they occur tend to be milder. Ketazolam is also an effective antispasmodic drug and is used for the treatment of spasticity.

Availability

Ketazolam is not approved for sale in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, Australia,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

or the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, GlaxoSmithKline markets ketazolam under its Solatran brand name. In Canada, ketazolam is listed in schedule IV of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, along with other benzodiazepines.

Tolerance and physical dependence

Chronic use of ketazolam as with other benzodiazepines can lead to

physical dependence Physical dependence is a physical condition caused by chronic use of a tolerance-forming drug, in which abrupt or gradual drug withdrawal causes unpleasant physical symptoms. Physical dependence can develop from low-dose therapeutic use of certai ...

and the appearance of the

benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome often abbreviated to benzo withdrawal or BZD withdrawal is the cluster of signs and symptoms that may emerge when a person who has been taking benzodiazepines, either medically or recreationally develops a p ...

upon cessation of use or decrease in dose. Tolerance to ketazolam's therapeutic effects occurs over a period of 15 days.

Contraindications and special caution

Benzodiazepines require special precaution if used in the elderly, during pregnancy, in children, alcohol or drug-dependent individuals and individuals with

comorbid In medicine, comorbidity - from Latin morbus ("sickness"), co ("together"), -ity (as if - several sicknesses together) - is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring (that is, concomitant or concurrent) with a primary ...

psychiatric disorders A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

Pharmacokinetics

Ketazolam breaks down in the blood to

which breaks down to demoxepam which breaks down to desmethyldiazepam.

Warnings

The U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

warns that in Spain, ketazolam marketed as Marcen may sometimes be mistakenly confused with Narcan.

Legal status

Ketazolam is a List 3 drug under the

Betäubungsmittelgesetz The Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BtMG), generally meaning Narcotics Law, is the controlled substances law of Germany. In common with the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 of the United Kingdom and Controlled Substances Acts of the US and Canada, it is a c ...

, like almost all benzodiazepines in Germany. Ketazolam is a List II drugs of the

Opium Law The Opium Law (or ''Opiumwet'' in Dutch) is the section of the Dutch law which covers nearly all psychotropic drugs. Origin and history In 1912, the First International Opium Conference took place in The Hague, where agreements were made abou ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Ketazolam is a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Substances Act in the US.

References

{{GABAAR PAMs Benzodiazepines Chloroarenes GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators Lactams