With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently conducting benzodiazepine nasal spray clinical trials, this may soon become the standard rescue medication for people with epilepsy.
Benzodiazepines are FDA-approved to treat seizures. These medications, including diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and midazolam (Versed), reduce the activity of overactive nerve cells - which is what causes seizures. Benzodiazepines attach to receptors on the surface of a nerve cell, decreasing the chance for that specific cell to transmit further signals to other nerve cells.
When a nerve cell stops transmitting extra signals that occur during a seizure, seizures stop.
While benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed to epilepsy patients in an oral pill or rectal gel form, they are hard to administer during an active seizure. Instead, many physicians have long instructed patients to administer liquid benzodiazepines into their noses in emergency situations.
Liquid forms of benzodiazepines are currently only available through specialty pharmacies, but the expected FDA approval would make the nasal spray form more readily available.
The Epilepsy Foundation anticipates FDA approval for a benzodiazepine nasal spray to come within the next two years.
