symptoms The symptoms of overdose are mainly an intensification of the pharmacological effects; drowsiness, mental confusion lethargy and muscle relaxation or paradoxical excitation. As with other benzodiazepines, overdosage should not present a threat to life unless combined with other CNS depressants including alcohol. More serious symptoms would be areflexia, hypotension, cardiorespiratory depression, apnoea and, rarely, coma. Coma, if it occurs, usually lasts a few hours but it may be more protracted and cyclical, particularly in elderly patients. Benzodiazepine respiratory depressant effects are more serious in patients with respiratory disease. Benzodiazepines increase the effects of other central nervous