A Comparison of Lorazepam and Diazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00523185

Enrollment

Registered

2007-08-31

Start date

2003-05-31

Completion date

2004-11-30

Last updated

2007-08-31

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Withdrawal

Keywords

alcohol withdrawal, lorazepam, diazepam

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of two commonly used medications in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, diazepam and lorazepam.

Detailed description

Despite the frequent use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, studies comparing the efficacy of long and short half-life benzodiazepines in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal have shown mixed results. Due to the conflicting nature of published reports, clinicians have no clear indication as to which type of agent is preferable. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of two commonly accepted medications in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, diazepam and lorazepam, which are long and short half-life benzodiazepines, respectively.

Interventions

DRUGLorazepam

Lorazepam 1 to 2 mg by mouth or intravenously every two hours as needed for alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

DRUGDiazepam

Diazepam 20 mg by mouth every two hours x 3 doses, or for parenteral treatment, diazepam 10 mg intravenously every one hour x 6 doses. Give additional diazepam 10 mg by mouth or intravenously every two hours as needed for alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

19 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Clinical diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal * History of alcohol use within 24 hours * Ability to consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

* Unwillingness to participate in the study * Active abuse of other CNS depressants * Acute intoxication with a CNS activating agent * Severe hepatic dysfunction * Pregnancy * History of dementia

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The primary outcome measures include serial measures of vital signs and scores on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised scale (CIWA-Ar), a widely used scale that monitors alcohol withdrawal symptoms.	one to two weeks

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary outcome measures include total benzodiazepine use.	one to two weeks

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026