Question

A patient arrives in the ED via EMS having a grand mal seizure. The ED physician instructs the RN to give 10 milligrams of Diazepam IV X1 dose STAT. The patient’s seizure breaks within 2 minutes of the Diazepam being administered. The mechanism by which this medication causes rapid resolution of seizure activity is via which receptor type (effector pathway/receptor subtype)?

Answer 1

Diazepam belongs to a drug class called as benzodiazepam. In simple it prevents the action of GABA. When this is done the neuronal activities to the brain is inhibited .Therefore the abnormal brain activity or motor activities is stopped and preventing seizure episode .Receptor pathways means the stimuli is first identified which is then converted to impulse . In effector pathway this impulse is brought into action. Therefore diazepam acts by controlling the stimuli via the Gaba A receptor and its subtypes. There are nearly 19 receptor subunits to control the symptoms by its varied mechanism. So the rapid resolution of seizure activity is via receptor subtype when diazepam is administers.