ABSTRACT
Benzodiazepines are among the most potent and best-tolerated anticonvulsant agents known. However, their use as antiepileptic agents has been limited by the rapid development of tolerance to their prophylactic effect and to rebound seizures upon treatment interruption. The deleterious effects of benzodiazepines on vigilance and cognitive function are also evidently a drawback in the use of benzodiazepines as antiepileptic agents over long time periods. The principal therapeutic uses of flumazenil are to reverse the effects of benzodiazepines when used in anaesthesia and in the treatment of coma resulting from benzodiazepine overdose. Many of the psychotropic effects of benzodiazepines make them appropriate for use as anaesthetic agents, or as adjuncts to anaesthesia. The introduction of flumazenil has been of considerable importance in the use of midazolam and other benzodiazepines in anaesthesia. A further use of benzodiazepines is in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal.
