Table 4. Commonly Prescribed Benzodiazepines in Cancer Patientsa
| Drug Equivalent | Approximate Oral Dose (mg)b | Initial Dose (mg) | Elimination Half-life of Drug Metabolites (h) |
| Short acting | |||
| Alprazolam (Xanax) | 0.5 | 0.25–2.0 tid–qid | 10–15 |
| Oxazepam (Serax) | 10.5 | 10–15 tid–qid | 5–15 |
| Lorazepam (Ativan) | 1.0 | 0.5–2.0 tid–qid | 10–20 |
| Temazepam (Restoril) | 15.0 | 15–30 at bedtime | 10–15 |
| Intermediate acting | |||
| Alprazolam (Xanax XR) | 1.0 | 1–6 qd | 10–15 |
| Clonazepam (Klonopin) | 1.0 | 0.5–2.0 bid–tid | 19–50 |
| Long acting | |||
| Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) | 10.0 | 10–50 tid–qid | 10–40 |
| Diazepam (Valium) | 5.0 | 5–10 bid–qid | 20–100 |
| Clorazepate (Tranxene) | 7.5 | 7.5–15.0 bid | 30–200 |
| bid = twice a day; qd = once a day; qid = 4 times a day; tid = 3 times a day. | |||
| aAdapted from Breitbart et al.[25] | |||
| bRefer to the PDQ summary on Depression for dosing information on antidepressants used for anxiety as described in this summary. |
References
- Breitbart W, Jaramillo JR, Chochinov HM: Palliative and terminal care. In: Holland JC, Breitbart W, Jacobsen PB, et al., eds.: Psycho-oncology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998, pp 437-49.
