List of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Medications
This is due to the development of drug tolerance (Chapter I) which sometimes leads doctors to increase the dosage or add another benzodiazepine. Their symptoms included the full range of psychological and physical symptoms usually described as benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. The process of slow benzodiazepine tapering in these patients caused only slight exacerbation of these symptoms, which then declined after withdrawal. Following the acute phase, some people may experience persistent withdrawal effects. Research shows that from 10% to 25% of those who use benzos long-term benzo face withdrawal symptoms lasting for 12 months or more. Symptoms can include insomnia, anxiety, concentration difficulties, reduced libido, depression, and mood swings.
Medications
Alcohol withdrawal (also called alcohol withdrawal syndrome, or AWS) happens when a person suddenly stops or significantly reduces drinking after long-term heavy alcohol use. As for management of mild alcohol withdrawal, with diazepam as in Table 11. Patients should drink 2-4 litres of water per day during withdrawal to replace fluids lost through perspiration and diarrhoea. Patients should drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day during stimulant withdrawal. Multivitamin supplements containing B group vitamins and vitamin C are recommended. Symptomatic medications should be offered as required for aches, anxiety and other symptoms.
What Are Benzo Withdrawal Symptoms? Everything to Know
They include short-acting benzos such as triazolam and long-acting benzos such as diazepam. However, a person can easily get addicted to benzo if they take too much, take it longer than prescribed, or abuse it for its sedative effects. If these severe withdrawal symptoms occur, a person needs medical supervision. The risk of these types of withdrawal symptoms is so high when coming off benzos that people shouldn’t try to detoxify outside of a medical facility. Benzodiazepine overdoses were linked to 8,791 deaths in 2015 — a death toll 4.3 times higher than the number of overdose deaths caused by these drugs in 2002.
Tapering off supratherapeutic doses
- In turn, this would in most likelihood minimize the enormous burden of what could be termed benzo-brain injury experienced by far too many.
- All sorts of strange tinglings, pins and needles, patches of numbness, feelings of electric shocks, sensations of hot and cold, itching, and deep burning pain are not uncommon during benzodiazepine withdrawal.
- Severe depression may result from biochemical changes in the brain induced by benzodiazepines.
- If not medically managed, some of the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal may be severe and potentially dangerous.
- These drugs specifically impair the learning of new skills, including stress-coping strategies.
Providing withdrawal management in a way that reduces the discomfort of patients and shows empathy for patients can help to build trust between patients and treatment staff of closed settings. The aim is to lead a healthy lifestyle which by definition includes some exercise in a form that is enjoyable for you. These sensations return towards normal as withdrawal progresses, and some people are pleased with the new, seemingly extraordinary, clarity of their perceptions. Only in withdrawal do they realise how much their senses have been obscured by benzodiazepines.
The Stages of Benzo Withdrawal
Benzodiazepine Withdrawal is a group of symptoms experienced by patients who have taken benzodiazepines for a period of time and have developed a dependence and try to stop or reduce their dose. In general, benzodiazepines should be discontinued slowly to minimize symptoms. Another drawback of antidepressants is that they, too, cause withdrawal reactions if they are stopped suddenly, a fact which has not always been appreciated severe benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome by doctors. These reactions can be prevented by slow tapering of the antidepressant dosage over about 1-3 months (See Table 2). Most people who have withdrawn from benzodiazepines will be experts at tapering dosages when the time comes to stop the antidepressant and will be able to work out a rate of withdrawal that suits them. Protracted withdrawal syndrome refers to symptoms persisting for months or even years.
People with benzodiazepine tolerance may take supratherapeutic doses because the recommended range no longer provides relief for their symptoms. The higher dose may help ease your symptoms, but it can also increase your risk of overdose and severe withdrawal symptoms. Short-acting benzodiazepines are much more likely to cause rebound symptoms. In fact, if you take your medication every other day, you may notice rebound symptoms on the day between doses. Longer-acting benzodiazepines like Klonopin (clonazepam) can stay in the system longer, which means it can be one to two days or even longer before withdrawal symptoms start. The onset of benzodiazepine withdrawal depends on the specific medication you are taking.
Such people may develop apparent intolerance to certain foods, although reliable tests for true food allergy (e.g. antibodies against specific food constituents) are nearly always negative. Nevertheless many sufferers feel that they have damage to the immune system or have developed intestinal candidiasis. There is at present no clear scientific evidence on these topics, though as mentioned before, benzodiazepine receptors are present in the gut and benzodiazepine use or withdrawal may affect immune responses.
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People tapering off the same original dosage of medication can have drastically different tapering experiences. If you’re predisposed to seizures, your risk of having a seizure may also increase during the withdrawal period. These can include your prescribed treatment regimen, the insurance plan you have, the pharmacy you use, and your location. For mild allergic reaction symptoms, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They’ll also let you know whether you should keep taking the medication.
A significant minority of people withdrawing from benzodiazepines, perhaps 10% to 15%, experience a protracted withdrawal syndrome which can sometimes be severe. Tinnitus occurring during dose reduction or discontinuation of benzodiazepines is alleviated by recommencement of benzodiazepines. Dizziness is often reported as being the withdrawal symptom that lasts the longest. The onset and severity of early withdrawal symptoms, often termed rebound symptoms, can vary depending on the benzodiazepine’s half-life. Short-acting benzos like Xanax can produce quicker onset symptoms than long-acting ones like Valium.