Premedication with sublingual triazolam compared with oral diazepam.

The clinical effects of a new administration form of triazolam, 0.2 mg sublingual (sl) tablet, were compared with those of a 10 mg tablet of diazepam in a double-blind study, in 100 ASA I-II patients scheduled for ophthalmic surgery under local anaesthesia. The sedative and anxiolytic effects of the study drugs were followed at 15 min intervals by plotting the patient's assessments on a visual analogue scale and by a trained observer. The onset of sedative and anxiolytic effect was similar. At 75 min after premedication and after the operation triazolam 0.2 mg caused deeper sedation than diazepam 10 mg according to the observer (P < 0.001, P < 0.01) and according to the patient (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Ten patients (20%) in the triazolam group and one in the diazepam group were assessed to be too sedated during the operation. All these patients were 61-70 yr old. The study drugs resulted in equal reduction of anxiety during the preoperative period. Both premedications provided good patient comfort but caused total amnesia only to one patient in each group. Neither caused any severe cardiorespiratory or other side effects. It is concluded that 0.2 mg triazolam sl produces deeper sedation than 10 mg oral diazepam. For elderly patients this dose is excessive for intraocular surgery.