Overcoming Benzodiazepine Addiction
If you are experiencing withdrawal from your medications, you may have become physically dependent on your prescription. Common benzo withdrawal symptoms may include flu-like pains, nausea and or vomiting, pounding heart, uncontrollable feeling of despair or panic, heavy bouts of perspiration, hallucinations, psychosis, muscle spasms, seizures, delirium, and grand mal seizures. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms consult a doctor immediately and then give us a call to discuss your options for treatment and or detoxification. Benzodiazepines are some of the easiest drugs to become addicted to and one of the most dangerous drugs to detox from. If you are also taking an opioid-based medication make sure that your prescribing doctor is aware of the risks involved with adding benzos to your prescription regimen. Benzodiazepine-opioid interactions are very dangerous and can become life-threatening.
Benzodiazepines are prescribed by doctors to help treat a wide variety of conditions related to the central nervous system. Benzos are not designed for prolonged use and should be relegated to no more than 4 weeks of continued use for most patients. Some cases can benefit from use-as-needed prescriptions with supervision, to ensure that dependency does not take hold. 25% of people who are prescribed benzos will develop a dependency on their medications, according to recent research. Once you have developed a dependency on benzos it can be close to impossible to stop the use without a medical detox. A full recovery can be achieved with the help of therapy and detox. Give us a call toll-free and we can give you the options for detox and treatment in your area.
1-800-513-5423
Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal include aches and pains, delirium, muscle spasms, anxiety, depression, nausea, insomnia, gran mal seizures, abnormal body sensations
List of benzos and what they are prescribed to treat
Alprazolam (Xanax) Prescribed for anxiety, and panic disorders short-acting benzo 6-26 hours
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Librax) Prescribed for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, adjunct (seizures), alcohol withdrawal, benzo replacement Detox. Longer-acting benzodiazepine 71.81 hours
Clonazepam (Klonopin) Prescribed for seizure disorders, panic disorder, neuralgia (nerve pain) long-acting 20-50 hours
Clorazepate (Tranxene) Prescribed for anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, and partial seizures Long-acting 20-100h
Diazepam (Valium) Prescribed for anxiety, sedation, alcohol withdrawal, muscle spasms, and seizure disorders long-acting Benzo 20-100 hours
Estazolam (ProSom) Prescribed for insomnia recommended only short term use medium acting 10-24 hours
Estazolam (ProSom) Prescribed for insomnia recommended only short term use medium acting 10-24 hours
Flurazepam (Dalmane) Prescribed for insomnia (short-term use only) 40-100 hour long-lasting benzodiazepine
Lorazepam (Ativan) Prescribed for anxiety, insomnia short-term use, seizures, and sedation. This is a medium-acting Benzo 10-20 hours
Midazolam (Versed) Prescribed for sedation, preoperative; general anesthesia induction, and seizures. Short-acting medication 2.5 hours oxazepam (Serax) Prescribed for anxiety, and alcohol withdrawal short-acting Benzo 5 – 15 hours
Temazepam (Restoril) Prescribed for insomnia for short-term use. Medium acting benzo 5-15 hours
Triazolam (Halcion) Prescribed primarily for insomnia on a short-term use prescription. Short-acting benzo 2-5 hours
Benzo and opioid overdoses are on the rise in the country. If you are taking benzos and an opioid get help now before a benzo opioid interaction happens to you.
When combining Benzodiazepines and opioids there is a significant increase in the chances of accidental overdose. More than 30% of opioid overdoses are also testing positive for benzos and in 2015, 23% of people who died from opioid-related overdoses were also using benzodiazepines. People who are using both benzos and opioids are at a higher risk of having to be admitted into the hospital for a drug-related emergency. If you are using both benzos and opioids you are putting yourself in danger of a fatal overdose.
Do not stop any prescription medications without consulting your doctor first. Most doctors will help you taper down your medications to help avoid heavy withdrawal symptoms. If you have been prescribed short-acting benzos for longer than 4 weeks the chances of dependency go up exponentially.
If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms and or starting to run out of your medications before the prescription is ready to be refilled give us a call. We can help you find freedom from this addiction and start you on the road to recovery. Do not wait until it is too late. Help is just a phone call away 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series, no. 38. Rockville, MD.
https://findtreatment.gov/
HIPAA PRIVACY LAWS
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Smart Recovery Meetings
Erik Epp – Content Author
Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series, no. 38. Rockville, MD.
https://findtreatment.gov/
HIPAA PRIVACY LAWS
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Smart Recovery Meetings
Erik Epp – Content Author
1-800-513-5423
Summary
Article Name
Overcoming Benzodiazepine Addiction
Description
Benzodiazepines are one of the easiest drugs to become addicted to and one of the most dangerous drugs to detox from. If you are also taking an opioid-based medication make sure that your prescribing doctor is aware of the risks involved with adding benzos to your prescription regiment. Benzodiazepine-opioid interactions are very dangerous and can become life-threatening.
