The Effect of Intramuscular Diazepam Injection for Reducing Anxiety Level in Psychiatric Patients: Placebo or Drug Effect

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the reduction of anxiety levels between diazepam intramuscular injections and normal saline injections in psychiatric patients.

Method: A double blind cross-over study was conducted in the psychiatric out-patient department in Lampang regional hospital. We conducted the study on ten cases long term out-patient who regularly visited the hospital. The study was conducted over four different visits, eight weeks apart, with a total of six months per patient. On each visit each patient would get either an injection of 10 mg. diazepam for two visits or normal saline for two visits. The injection alternated randomly between diazepam and normal saline, and injection used was unknown to both the patients and the nurse who interviewed for anxiety level. The Hamilton anxiety rating scale was used to measures anxiety level before injection and an hour after injection. Paired t- test was used for statistical analysis.

Result: The study comprised 2 males and 8 females. They were 43-74 years old. The largest diagnosis in psychiatric illness was somatoform disorder. The psychotropic agents taken were fluoxetine and nortriptyline. The study showed that there was no significant difference between intramuscular injection of diazepam and normal saline in reducing anxiety. The only factor that determined the anxiety score after intervention was the anxiety score before intervention.

Conclusion: Intramuscular injection of diazepam is not effective in reducing anxiety in psychiatric patients.