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Benzodiazepine
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A type of drug used to relieve anxiety and insomnia (trouble sleeping). Benzodiazepines are also used to relax muscles and prevent seizures. They increase the effect of a chemical in the brain called GABA, which is a neurotransmitter (a substance that nerves use to send messages to one another). This causes brain activity to slow down. Benzodiazepines are a type of CNS depressant. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
Drugs from this chemical class are used for their central nervous system depressant properties including sedation, facilitation of sleep, seizure control, general anesthesia, anxiolytic, amnestic, and for detoxification from similar (cross tolerant) drugs (NCI Thesaurus)
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