Introduction to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of benzodiazepines

The contributions of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to the generation and maintenance of drug responses are reviewed from the literature. Potential pharmacokinetic determinants of duration of drug action are dose, lipid solubility and elimination half-life. Certain paradoxes are inherent in the view that clinical differences among benzodiazepines are due primarily to their elimination half-lives. It is concluded that the respective roles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the generation and maintenance of clinical responses to benzodiazepines require clarification.