Serax
® (
oxazepam) is a prescription medication approved to treat the following conditions:
(Click Serax Uses for more information on what the drug is used for, including possible off-label uses.)
Brand-name Serax is no longer being made. Currently,
generic Serax is made by the following manufacturers:
- Actavis Elizabeth
- Ivax Pharmaceuticals
- Sandoz Pharmaceuticals.
Serax is part of a group of medicines known as benzodiazepines.
These drugs have a variety of different effects on the body, including:
- Stopping seizures
- Reducing anxiety
- Causing sleepiness
- Relaxing muscles
- Impairing short-term memory.
All benzodiazepine medications can have each of these effects to some degree, depending on the specific medication and the dosage. They work in the brain by enhancing the effects of
gamma-aminobutyric acid (
GABA), a brain chemical that is naturally calming. GABA can slow down or stop certain nerve signals in the brain. This is why Serax and other benzodiazepines are known as mild tranquilizers, sedatives, or central nervous system depressants (CNS depressants).