nonsense

[Politicalchalk]

I've read a lot of posts in this column about injesting benzos in various ways: oral, rectal, IM, IV, SC, Intranasal, you name it, it's been tried. Many people here report about snorting benzodiazepines. When SWIM bought his 1st Valium, the seller was surprised that SWIM would swallow versus snort the pills.

To me, this all seems poppycock. Is there any CLINICAL proof or at least attempts at serious research in the field of intranasal medicine that have anything to say at all about this? Wether anatomically you can snort benzos at all, data on safety issues, noted increases in potency and decreases in duration? I'm looking for hard facts. All I've been able to come up with are anecdotal reports and secondhand stories. Where's the Beef?

My personal persuasion would lend itself more towards lorazepam, clonazepam, and diazepam. The others would also be accepted; the mentioned are of personal significance as I was/am taking them curretly.

Anyone know of some clinical data or the like?

[Paracelsus]

Found within a minute: Sheehan MF, Sheehan DV, Torres A, Coppola A, Francis E. Snorting benzodiazepines. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1991;17(4):457-68.

Two cases of intranasal benzodiazepine use are presented. The methods of preparation and administration of the powder and accounts of the pharmacological effects of the drugs used are described. The pattern of development and progress of the habit and its associated features are delineated. Snorting benzodiazepines appears to be more common than is currently appreciated, and the clinical complications and implications of this habit are discussed.

Schweizer E, Clary C, Dever AI, Mandos LA. The use of low-dose intranasal midazolam to treat panic disorder: a pilot study. J Clin Psychiatry. 1992 Jan;53(1):19-22.

BACKGROUND: Drug therapy of panic disorder, despite the intermittent nature of the panic attack, requires daily administration of antidepressants, which are often not tolerated, or benzodiazepines, which can result in physical dependence and withdrawal. The use of rapidly acting, low-dose intranasal midazolam to prevent incipient panic suggested itself to us as a novel alternative treatment strategy. METHOD: We conducted a 6-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover-design pilot study of the safety and efficacy of p.r.n. low-dose intranasal midazolam in five patients diagnosed with DSM-III-R panic disorder. RESULTS: One to two drops of midazolam (approximately 0.25 to 0.5 mg) was well tolerated and highly effective in preventing incipient panic attacks and in reducing the overall weekly frequency of attacks. CONCLUSION: Intermittent intranasal midazolam shows promise as a novel alternative treatment for panic, but a controlled study of its efficacy and safety (including abuse potential) must be conducted.