Pharmacokinetics of the benzodiazepines.

At present several benzodiazepines are available for clinical use. Pharmacological and clinical studies have failed to show qualitative differences between them. The main variations among individual benzodiazepines are in their pharmacokinetics and metabolism. The differences in the rates of absorption, volumes of distribution, distribution half-lives, compartmental kinetics, metabolism and elimination half-lives between individual benzodiazepines are reviewed. These influence the selection of a particular benzodiazepine for a specific patient or condition. Guidelines for particular clinical situations are provided.