The sedative effects of benzodiazepines lead many people to abuse them, resulting in overdose, physical dependence, and addiction. A comprehensive substance abuse treatment program addresses all aspects of benzodiazepine addiction to help individuals fully recover.
The sedative effects of benzodiazepines lead many people to misuse them, which can result in overdose, physical dependence, and addiction. A comprehensive treatment program addresses all aspects of benzodiazepine addiction to help individuals fully recover. To learn about the options available at our benzo addiction treatment program, contact us today at 844.470.0410.
What Are Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines, commonly called benzos, are a class of drugs (depressants) that cause central nervous system depression.
They work by slowing certain functions in the brain and body. In the U.S., these medications are prescribed for the following uses:
- Amnesiatic
- Anti-anxiety
- Anticonvulsant
- Muscle relaxant
- Sedative-hypnotic
They can also be used to treat agitation, seizures, and as a premedication for medical or dental procedures.
Benzodiazepines have been used for decades to treat many different physical and psychological conditions. In fact, these drugs are some of the most commonly prescribed depressants in the United States, according to the Center For Substance Use Research (CESAR).
Yet, as prescriptions for benzodiazepines increase every year, the increased prescription rates are accompanied by higher misuse and addiction rates. Unfortunately, the nation has only just started paying attention to this problem.
Today, prescriptions written for benzodiazepines total in the hundreds of millions. In 2011 alone, prescriptions written for five of the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines—alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, and temazepam—totaled over 126 million.
The best defense we have against benzodiazepine misuse and addiction is a benzo addiction treatment program. If we can recognize the signs of misuse and addiction and know the consequences or harm addiction can cause, we can help people find hope and healing with treatment modalities that are right for them.
Why Are Benzos Misused?
The sedative properties of the drugs make them high targets of misuse. Many people combine benzos with other substances, like alcohol or opioids, to enhance the effects of each.
However, combining the drugs is extremely dangerous, as mixing benzodiazepines with alcohol, which is another depressant, can enhance the sedative effects to extreme levels. Mixing with opioids, which are also depressants, can also cause your breathing to slow and perhaps stop. Both of these combinations greatly increase the affected person’s chance of overdose.
Benzodiazepines are typically available in capsule or tablet form. When misused, the person might crush them and snort the powder or mix with water to inject a solution, creating faster effects.
Various drug forms of benzodiazepines include :
- Tablet
- Capsule
- Syrup
- Solution (clear liquid)
- Extended-release (long-acting) capsule
- Extended-release (long-acting) suspension (liquid) to take by mouth
When taken as directed, the tablet, capsule, syrup, and solution are usually taken every 4-6 hours as needed. The extended-release capsule and the extended-release suspension are usually taken every 12 hours as needed. If you are taking benzodiazepine on a regular schedule, take it at around the same time(s) every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
What Are the Side Effects of Benzodiazepine Misuse?
People largely misuse benzodiazepines for feelings of calm, relaxation, and relief from anxiety and tension.
With those effects come other, adverse side effects, such as:
- Confusion
- Drowsiness, fatigue, or lethargy
- Nausea, constipation, diarrhea, or vomiting
- Respiratory depression
- Speech troubles: slurring words or stuttering
- Tremors
- Vertigo
Misuse of benzodiazepines, which means changing the method of administration, taking more frequent or higher doses than prescribed, or taking it for reasons other than prescribed, can cause worse effects than those above. These can include euphoria, erratic and/or hostile behavior, mood swings, and slow reflexes. In addition, this misuse can contribute to higher overdose risk.
Physical Consequences of Benzodiazepine Misuse
In addition to side effects, benzodiazepine misuse can result in a number of consequences. These can include tolerance, dependence, addiction, and overdose.
Tolerance occurs when your body becomes accustomed to the effects of a substance, and you no longer feel the same effects when you take the drug. For people taking benzodiazepines as prescribed, tolerance may occur after six months of use or more. For those misusing benzos, tolerance may occur more quickly.
After you build up a tolerance, you may experience dependence on benzos. This happens when your body becomes addicted to the effects of the drug, and you start feeling physical symptoms when not taking it. These symptoms are known as withdrawal and may include anxiety, dysphoria (being uneasy or constantly feeling dissatisfied), insomnia, seizures, and tremors.
Perhaps the biggest risk of benzodiazepine misuse, though, is the potential road to addiction. Simply taking benzodiazepines as medication won’t necessarily cause addiction to develop. The danger lies not in the drug itself but in the potential to get addicted to the feelings that the substance induces. Benzodiazepine notably has relaxing, calming effects, which may be appealing to individuals who crave that feeling as a tool to escape unpleasant realities or to handle anxiety.
Commonly Misused Benzodiazepines
The most commonly misused benzodiazepines, according to high numbers of prescriptions written, are alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, and temazepam, according to the DEA.
Alprazolam
Alprazolam is typically used for treating anxiety and panic disorders. Brand names of the drug are Xanax and Xanax XR. As one of the most prescribed medications for anxiety-related conditions, alprazolam is highly misused.
Clonazepam
This medication is used mostly to treat seizures but is also prescribed for panic disorders. The brand name for this drug is Klonopin. The Citizens Commission On Human Rights (CCHR) states that no benzo has been more lethal to millions of Americans than Klonopin.
Diazepam
Diazepam, known by the brand name Valium, is used to treat several conditions, including anxiety, muscle spasms, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Combining it with other substances, especially alcohol, can cause dangerously slowed breathing or even fatal overdose.
Lorazepam
Lorazepam is mainly used for anxiety, working by slowing brain activity, which results in relaxation. The common brand name for it is Ativan. As with other benzodiazepines, dependence and addiction to lorazepam can occur even if used as directed for a short time.
Temazepam
This medication is typically prescribed for people with insomnia. It works by slowing brain activity, so you can sleep. This drug can become addictive, especially because, after use of it, you may have an even harder time falling asleep, especially if you develop an addiction to it.
Can You Overdose On Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs on which you can experience an overdose. Whether used in combination with other substances to enhance the effects of each or to counteract or balance the effects of other substances, polydrug misuse with benzos is dangerous.
Depressants work by slowing different parts of brain activity. In turn, body functions, like breathing, are slowed. Combine the similar effects of two depressants (like benzos and alcohol), and your breathing could slow to extremely low levels.
Misusing benzodiazepines in conjunction with stimulants like cocaine or opioids, which work to enhance brain productivity, can be just as risky. Cocaine works by giving you energy surges and euphoria, quite the opposite effects of benzos.
To produce these bursts of energy, cocaine works in the body by quickening functions like breathing and heart rate. The opposing extremes of stimulants like cocaine and benzodiazepines can create a catastrophe, ending in overdose.
Even if you don’t engage in polydrug misuse, addiction to benzodiazepines can result in an overdose. Dependence can result even if you take the drugs for a short time, and then you may experience tolerance, begin taking more, and risk overdose.
Why Is Benzo Detoxification Important?
Supervised medical detoxification is necessary for individuals addicted to benzodiazepines due to the high risk of seizures during withdrawal. It is essential never to try and stop taking benzodiazepines on your own. Medical detox can help ensure your safety.
Medical monitoring of detox can help you in several ways. First, with medical supervision, your health status will be regularly monitored. This is highly important during detox from benzos, as regulation of breathing and heart rate when coming off the use of benzos is necessary.
Also, with medication-assisted treatment, you can receive medication if you need it during detox. Withdrawal symptoms may become quite uncomfortable. You may need medication to help quell the symptoms of withdrawal long enough to make it through detoxification. Contrary to what some people believe, not all medications for withdrawal symptom relief create those addictive feelings and experiences. Instead, these medications help you safely taper off the use of benzodiazepines until you can quit the use of them and begin the rest of your inpatient benzo addiction treatment program.
What Treatment Methods Are Most Effective?
Treating a benzodiazepine addiction is complex, and a good treatment program treats each client on an individualized basis. As a result we offer many treatment options, including inpatient and outpatient benzo addiction treatment programs.
Addiction affects all aspects of your health: mental, emotional, and physical. In turn, your behavior, thoughts, body, and life are changed. Treatment helps you reverse some of these changes, build positive new behaviors, learn mindfulness skills, and teach you ways to seek fulfillment from life without addiction.
Accomplishing all of these treatment goals is no easy feat, and that’s why utilizing a number of different treatment methods is so important. The best rehab centers will provide a number of treatment modalities from which you can build a program that’s right for you.
All of our treatment centers recognize the need for treatment that is tailored to the individual. Our treatment methods are as varied as the individuals we help treat. When you find hope and healing with us, you’ll have access to custom, individualized treatment programs that fit your specific needs.
What Does Our Benzo Addiction Treatment Program Offer?
The following are just a few of our science-backed programs that cater to the varying needs of those who enter our rehab centers:
- Treatment specific to men
- Treatment specific to women
- Dual diagnosis treatment: treating more than one disorder at a time
- Mental health treatment
- Medication-assisted therapy
We at Vertava Health specialize in benzo addiction. We know you are struggling and that benzos like Xanax or Valium have helped treat your feelings of stress and anxiety. But you’re here because you know you may have found yourself unable to stop the habit, and we are here to help you. There are ways to manage anxiety and stress without relying heavily on benzodiazepines. Through cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and individual therapy, our campuses provide the best possible care to treat and detox the addiction, find the root cause of the anxiety, and give the person struggling their life back.
Seek Treatment at Vertava Health
When you’re ready for help with benzodiazepine addiction, you’ll want a rehab center that works for you and understands all of your unique needs. Vertava Health provides resources that will do just that. We would like to help you break free from addiction and look forward to a better future. Contact us today at 844.470.0410.
