Update: Diazepam Rectal (Diastat)

The FDA announced that there is an ongoing shortage of both brand and generic forms of diazepam rectal gel. This medication is used for rescue therapy in people with epilepsy, including children. We strongly encourage you to speak with your healthcare provider about your/your child’s options for rescue therapy, since new FDA-approved rescue therapy products have entered the market.

Diastat (dye-ah-stat) is the brand name used in the United States and Canada for the seizure medicine with the generic name diazepam rectal gel. It is a seizure rescue medicine that is inserted into a person’s rectum to stop a cluster of repeated seizures. Similar products are available in the UK and elsewhere. 

Diazepam rectal gel is approved for use as a rescue medicine in people who have refractory seizures on stable doses of seizure medicines and need intermittent use of diazepam to control bouts of seizures. 

• These terms may also refer to periods of increased seizures or seizure clusters
• Seizure clusters are times when there is a change in the number, pattern or type of seizures. These are often different from a person’s usual seizures.
• Diastat rectal gel is prescribed for short-term treatment and does not take the place of daily seizure medicine. 

For more information and FAQs, please CLICK HERE to follow this link to the Epilepsy Foundation.