A comparative study on the clinical effects of flunitrazepam and oxazepam as oral premedication

The clinical effects of flunitrazepam and oxazepam as oral premedicants were tested in a double-blind study of 69 otorhinolaryngologic patients. Flunitrazepam had a somewhat higher sedative effect (p less than 0.10) and moderated the increase in systolic blood pressure significantly (p less than 0.005) more than did oxazepam, but as regards the other parameters tested no significant differences were found (sleep, apprehension, excitement, dizziness, emetic effect, headache, increase in heart rate, venepuncture). In some patients a profuse salivary secretion was observed despite intravenous injection of atropine just before the induction of anesthesia. Our results support earlier claims of flunitrazepam's relatively strong sedative and anxiolytic properties, but on the whole the difference in clinical effects of these benzodiazepine derivatives was not marked.