Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms and Getting Treatment

It is common that patients experiencing symptoms do not recognize that their poor physical and mental health is related to their long-term use of the benzodiazepines. The risk of falls leading to injuries in elderly BZD users is significantly increased in patients greater than 80 years old, while the increased risk is not significant in patients under 80 [22]. Passaro et al. described an increased risk of falls in elderly hospitalized patients prescribed short-acting BZD [23]. For mothers with BZD use during pregnancy, there is a risk of premature birth and low birth weight.

Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

Recovery groups like Narcotics Anonymous and SMART Recovery can also provide support to people in any stage of recovery. There is some evidence that lithium carbonate may be an effective medication for cannabis withdrawal management. However, until further research has established the efficacy of the medication for this purpose, it is not recommended for use in closed settings. Cannabis withdrawal is managed by providing supportive care in a calm environment, and symptomatic medication as required (Table 3).

• It was also reported that the risk of death in patients using less than 18 pills per year is increased by 3.6-fold [48].
• An estimated 50-80% of people who have taken benzodiazepines continually for a few weeks or longer will experience withdrawal symptoms when reducing the dose; a smaller percentage will experience severe withdrawal.
• Generally, benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms fluctuate; the intensity of the symptoms does not decrease in a steady fashion as is the case with most other drug withdrawal syndromes.
• Mclean et al. 2011 reported that the diagnosis of anxiety and stress disorders has a higher prevalence in women, which can explain the discrepancies in the prescription for men vs. women [30].

The benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome

She has a passion for working with clients struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Her treatment approach includes providing evidence-based practices in a supportive and non-confrontational manner. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is the result of ongoing benzodiazepine use and abuse, which often leads to physical dependence—a state in which a person’s body becomes hooked on a drug and has trouble functioning without it. A 45-year-old woman with a history of anxiety and insomnia transferred to our clinic requesting alprazolam (Xanax), which she had been taking for the past year. It was prescribed by another physician who had since retired, and she insisted that it was the only thing that helped her symptoms. Over the past several months, she had been taking more alprazolam during the day and at bedtime, because it had not been working as well as when initially prescribed.

• Patients should be allowed to sleep or rest in bed if they wish, or to do moderate activities such as walking.
• Tips for managing withdrawal on your own may include various recommendations but seeking care and support from a medical provider will provide a greater chance at completing detox and working toward recovery.
• Interestingly, a lower prevalence of withdrawal symptoms was noted in the experimental group without any change in pharmacologic treatment from control group [73].
• The cannabis withdrawal syndrome is typically mild, but can be difficult for the patient to cope with.
• CBT assumes that there is a relationship between a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
• Patients may have been taking benzodiazepines for an anxiety or other psychological disorder; following withdrawal from benzodiazepines, the patient is likely to experience a recurrence of these psychological symptoms.

Benzo Detox & Addiction Treatment Near Me

Compounding pharmacies can be used to obtain very small doses near the end of the taper. Although differentiating withdrawal reactions from recrudescent psychiatric symptoms after drug withdrawal is always difficult, a number of factors favored the former interpretation of the newly-appearing symptoms benzodiazepine withdrawal and signs. First, the frequency (10 of 11 patients) of new symptoms or signs soon after withdrawal. Fourth, a slower onset and subtler development of this syndrome than that from meprobamate or barbiturates….If large doses of chlordiazepoxide are used, the drug should not be abruptly discontinued.

Slowly reducing the dose, less than 5 to 10% of the current dose monthly, can minimize the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and is the recommended way to discontinue benzodiazepines safely. In rare cases, alcohol dependent patients may experience severe complications such as seizures, hallucinations, dangerous fluctuations in body temperature and blood pressure, extreme agitation and extreme dehydration. As above, provide 20mg diazepam every 1-2 hours until symptoms are controlled. In cases of severe dehydration, provide intravenous fluids with potassium and magnesium salts. Protracted symptoms continue to fade over a period of many months or several years.

2. STANDARD CARE FOR WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT

The term ‘withdrawal management’ (WM) has been used rather than ‘detoxification’. This is because the term detoxification has many meanings and does not translate easily to languages other than English. For up to a month after ceasing inhalant use, the patient may experience confusion and have difficulty concentrating. This should be taken into consideration in planning treatment involvement. Patients withdrawing from inhalants should be observed every three-four hours to assess for complications such as hallucinations, which may require medication.

• There are various things that people may try to deal with benzo withdrawal on their own, but this may not be recommended.
• Protracted withdrawal syndrome refers to symptoms persisting for months or even years.
• A healthcare professional should supervise benzo withdrawal to help monitor and manage the symptoms.
• The withdrawal symptoms, which vary in severity, typically begin within 24 hours and may last from a few days to a few months.
• Due to their toxic effect on the central nervous system, appropriate care is necessary with BZD.

Management of stimulant withdrawal

In other words, your body may rely on benzodiazepines to function if you take them frequently and for more than a short period of time. BZDs represent one of the most widely prescribed drug classes in the United States. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ They are used for immediate symptom relief of anxiety, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, spasticity from CNS pathology, catatonia, sleep disorders such as insomnia, and withdrawal from alcohol and other BZDs [3].