What is/are Oxazepam?
Oxazepam (marketed in English speaking countries under the following brand names Alepam, Medopam, Murelax, Noripam, Opamox, Ox-Pam, Purata, Serax and Serepax, as Vaben in Israel, and as Sobril and Oxascand in Sweden and as Sobril and Alopam in Norway and Zaxpam in India ), is a drug which is a short-to-intermediate-acting 3-hydroxy benzodiazepine derivative. Oxazepam is a benzodiazepine used extensively since the 1960s for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia and in the control of symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. It is a metabolite of diazepam, prazepam and temazepam.[4] Oxazepam has moderate amnesic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties compared to other benzodiazepines.
Medical uses
Oxazepam along with diazepam, nitrazepam and temazepam, were the four benzodiazepines listed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and represented 82% of the benzodiazepine prescriptions in Australia in 1990-1991.
Adverse effects
The side effects of oxazepam are similar in nature to those of other benzodiazepines and may include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, memory impairment, paradoxical excitement, retrograde amnesia, but does not affect transient global amnesia.[citation needed] Side effects due to rapid decrease in dose or abrupt withdrawal from oxazepam may include abdominal and muscle cramps, convulsions, depression, inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, sweating, tremors, or vomiting.
Ordinarily, full T cell activation requires 1) binding of the T cell receptor to the antigen-MHC complex on the APC and 2) a co-stimulatory signal provided by the binding of CD28, a T cell protein, to the B7 protein on the APC. Abatacept, which contains a high-affinity binding site for B7, works by binding to the B7 protein on APCs and preventing them from delivering the co-stimulatory signal to T cells, thus preventing the full activation of T cells.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Oxazepam, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.