Dangers of treatment of status epilepticus with diazepam.

The results of treatment of 25 patients admitted from psychiatric institutions indicate that diazepam is the drug of first choice in the treatment of status epilepticus. The dangers of treatment appeared to result from combined use with other drugs. Respiratory depression occurred in one patient and hypotension in five patients, all of whom had been given intramuscular phenobarbitone in addition to intravenous diazepam. The two serious cases of hypotension had also been given parenteral paraldehyde.