What Doctors Don't Tell YouPutting Valium up the back passage is one new treatment tried to stop epileptic fits. It’s been tested at the New England Medical Center in Boston on 125 patients, including 47 children, all with a history of acute repetitive seizures.
Half were given rectal diazepam (Valium) gel, and the rest were given a placebo. Response was not that impressive among the adults, but the children responded well to the treatment. Sleepiness, however, was a common side effect.
The researchers recommend that it can be safely administered at home by a trained “care giver”, such as a parent (N Engl J Med 1998; 338: 1869-75).
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
