What it means
A benzodiazepine that calms the brain by boosting the effect of GABA, its main calming chemical. It lasts a long time in the body, which makes it useful for managing alcohol withdrawal. Like all benzodiazepines, it carries a boxed warning: taken with opioids or alcohol it can cause deep sedation and slowed breathing, and it can lead to misuse and dependence. Its name looks like chlorpromazineklor-PROH-muh-zeenAn older antipsychotic drug, also used for severe nausea and vomiting and for hiccups that will not stop.Full entry .
For the nurse
In alcohol withdrawal, doses are often given by a withdrawal score such as the CIWA-Ar. Check level of sedation and breathing before each dose, and protect against falls, especially in older adults. Teach the client not to drink alcohol or stop the drug suddenly.
At a glance
| Drug class | benzodiazepine (anxiolytic) |
|---|---|
| Brand names | Librium |
| Spanish | clordiazepóxido |
| Also written | Librium |
Easy to confuse with
chlorpromazine
An older antipsychotic drug, also used for severe nausea and vomiting and for hiccups that will not stop.
Related terms
CIWA
Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol: a scoring tool nurses use to rate how severe a client's alcohol withdrawal is.