Drug info - Valium is an Anti-oxidant (?!)

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Interestingly, many medicines are also potent antioxidants. Increasingly, medical research articles are focusing on the ability of various medications to improve outcome of surgery via the mediation of oxidative stress. Some medications that could be used by the anesthesiologist during your procedure or by the surgeon in the postoperative period include fentanyl (Duragesic) (Kato et al. 2000), diazepam (Valium) (Galeffi et al. 2000), propofol (an IV sedative) (Javadov et al. 2000), clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres) (Myles et al. 1999), and gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) (Kleinschmidt et al. 1995). Discuss these medications with your anesthesiologist and surgeon and request that if a group of drugs of their class is needed that these particular drugs be selected. Fentanyl is commonly used by anesthesiologists and surgeons for pain control. Fentanyl is in the same drug class as morphine and Demerol. Valium is very commonly used in numerous settings to decrease anxiety, for muscle relaxation, and for sedation. Propofol is a newer anesthetic agent, favored by many anesthesiologists for a variety of reasons; it is used for induction and maintenance during anesthesia. Clonidine is not commonly used, but it can be used orally for sleep or sedation in the postoperative period. GHB is used for induction of anesthesia in Great Britain and Europe but is presently not available in the United States. GHB was given initial FDA approval in early 2001 as a treatment for narcolepsy under the trade name Xyrem (Bullion 2000). Orphan Medical announced final FDA approval in July 2002.

Taken from: lef.org