Diazepam/Valium is rarely used for the long-term treatment of epilepsy because tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects of diazepam usually develops within 6 to 12 months of treatment, effectively rendering it useless for this purpose and also because of side-effects - in particular sedation.
Diazepam is used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and symptoms of acute alcohol or opiate withdrawal. It is also used as a premedication for inducing sedation, anxiolysis or amnesia before certain medical procedures (e.g., endoscopy).
Diazepam has a broad spectrum of indications (most of which are off-label), including:
Treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, and states of agitation.
Treatment of status epilepticus, adjunctive treatment of other forms of epilepsy
Treatment of neurovegetative symptoms associated with vertigo.
Treatment of the symptoms of alcohol, opiate and benzodiazepine withdrawal
Short-term treatment of insomnia.
Treatment of tetanus, together with other measures of intensive-treatment
Adjunctive treatment of painful muscle conditions
Adjunctive treatment of spastic muscular paresis (para-/tetraplegia) caused by cerebral or spinal cord conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury (long-term treatment is coupled with other rehabilitative measures)
Palliative treatment of stiff person syndrome.
Pre-/postoperative sedation, anxiolysis and/or amnesia (e.g., before endoscopic or surgical procedures)[9]
Treatment of overdosage with hallucinogens or CNS stimulants.
Adjunctive treatment of drug-induced seizures, resulting from exposure to sarin, VX, soman (or other organophosphate poisons; See #CANA), lindane, chloroquine, physostigmine, or pyrethroids
Emergency treatment of eclampsia, along with IV magnesium sulfate
Prophylactic treatment of oxygen toxicity during hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Used in the treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
Used to treat pain resulting from muscle spasms caused by various dystonias, including blepharospasm.
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