Valium, Tobacco, and Drug Testing

[DrGonzo]

Valium is broken down into three active metabolites, which can be tested for in urinalysis. These are: (1) N-desmethyldiazepam, (2) Oxazepam, and (3) Temazepam.

All four of these drugs-- diazepam and its metabolites-- stick around in your system for quite some time.

One trick to increase clearance of at least two metabolites-- N-desmethyldiazepam and oxazepam-- is heavy smoking. Heavy tobacco intake (smoking only!) increases benzo-hungry enzymes, which then help clear your system more quickly.

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Thirty-eight healthy male and female volunteers, 22 to 84 years of age, ingested single 30-mg doses of oxazepam tablets in the fasting state. Oxazepam plasma concentrations were determined by electron-capture gas- liquid chromatography in multiple samples drawn during 48 hr after the dose. Absorption of oxazepam was relatively slow with peak plasma levels reached an average of 2 to 3 hr after dosage. First-order absorption was observed in only 22 of the 38 subjects. Elimination half- life ranged from 4.9 to 19.4 hr and was longer (P < .05) in females (mean: 9.7 hr) than in males (7.8 hr). Half-life was not associated with age in males but tended to increase with age in females (r = 0.45). Oxazepam was extensively bound to plasma protein. The mean free fraction was 4.3% and did not differ between sexes. Free fraction tended to increase with age (r = 0.25), in part because of significantly lower plasma albumin concentrations in the elderly (r = - 0.58). Assuming 100% systemic availability, clearance of total as well as unbound oxazepam was significantly greater in men than in women. Intrinsic clearance tended to decline with age in men (r = -0.21) and women (r = -0.24) but these associations were not significant. Higher oxazepam clearance was associated with heavy cigarette smoking but this did not explain the sex-related difference. Thus, sex is a more important determinant of oxazepam clearance than is age.

DJ Greenblatt, M Divoll, JS Harmatz and RI Shader. Oxazepam kinetics: effects of age and sex. Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 1980; 215:1:86-91,


Tobacco smoke contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that induce hepatic CYP450 microcosomal enymes; tobacco smoking may thus increase the clearance of selected drugs. Tobacco does not affect the metabolism of the parent drug diazepam, but does accelerate the metabolism of its major active metabolite, N-desmethyldiazepam, by up to threefold.

HR Ochs, DJ Greenblatt, M Knuchel. Kinetics of diazepam, midazolam and lorazepam in cigarette smokers. Chest. 1985;87:223-6

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In light of this, I recommend heavy smoking in addition to the usual strategies (drinking lots of water and heavy exercise). Good luck to anyone who needs to put this into practice.

DrGonzo added 1076 Minutes and 0 Seconds later...

Additionally, according to the clinical pharmacology database at SWIM's pharmacy, ingesting 900mg/day of St. John's Wort induces cytochrome P450 enzymes. This reduces total levels of the benzodiazepine midazolam by roughly 50%. Other benzodiazepines that follow the same metabolic pathways are alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide, clonazepam, clorazepate, diazepam, estrazolam, flurazepam, prazepam, quazepam, and triazolam.

Hence, ingesting proper quantities of St. John's Wort can cause massive reduction in diazepam levels, in addition to a variety of other benzos.

Ingestion of St. John's Wort will speed the break-down of diazepam into its major metabolites. Smoking tobacco, in turn, will accelerate the clearance of these metabolites (oxazepam and N-desmethyldiazepam).

The combination of SJW and tobacco should help for a large spectrum of benzos, theoretically, but I believe it would be best suited for people who use diazepam or oxazepam recreationally.

Of course, this is not a cure-all. The only thing that guarantees a "Pass" is time.

DrGonzo added 8 Minutes and 19 Seconds later...

Additionally, do not ingest coffee in the hope that it will "flush your system" faster. Because caffeine is metabolized via a pathway that overlaps diazepam's, ingesting coffee will only slow things down.

If you want to flush your system, use a different diuretic.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good thread; Informative, but not practical 4 health conscious individuals.