Diazepam abuse: incidence, rapid screening, and confirming methods.
We studied 2500 patients suspected to be drug-overdose victims. Blood samples were quantitatively screened for the most commonly abused drugs, including diazepam. Of these, 61% had positive findings, including diazepam in about one of every four. A new rapid, simple, and quantitative gas-chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of diazepam and sedatives (in two instruments) is described. A single extraction at low pH is used, preserving the balance of the sample to be used for confirming methods via ultraviolet spectrophotometry and thin-layer chromatography. Prevalance of other positive findings is also listed, and findings for diazepam are categorized by age.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D003975:Diazepam / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000431:Ethanol; D003975:Diazepam