However, some research indicates that this combination may increase an individual’s chances of developing a benzodiazepine use disorder. Additionally, because these drugs have historically been widely available, individuals without prescriptions often easily access them. Treatment for benzodiazepine abuse usually involves a gradual tapering of the drug to minimize withdrawal effects, and in some cases, long-term management strategies may be necessary to address underlying anxiety disorders. Prevention efforts focus on reducing the availability of benzodiazepines and promoting safer alternatives for anxiety management. Understanding the complex nature of benzodiazepine use and the potential for abuse is essential for both individuals and healthcare providers. Benzodiazepine (BZD) abuse has reached epidemic levels and results in poor outcomes, particularly when combined with concomitant central nervous system depressants.
Benzodiazepine Addiction: Symptoms & Signs of Dependence
The best way to treat a benzo addiction is by seeking help through an accredited facility. Doing this allows medical professionals and clinical therapists to determine the severity of the addiction and find anyunderlying co-occurring disordersthat have to be treated. The Recovery Village hasvarious facilitiesthroughout the country that can help with this process.
How Quickly Does Tolerance for Benzos Develop?
Our findings that women, older, and non-Hispanic white respondents had higher use of benzodiazepines is consistent with previous work (1, 2, 39–41). This may further support the hypothesis that higher misuse is partially a function of limited access to a prescribed option—limited for younger patients due to lack of insurance and for men due to minimal disclosure of mental health concerns to providers (42). However, higher misuse was not found among Sober living house racial and ethnic minorities, even though they have limited access to specialty mental health care and lower rates of insurance (30). Another potential explanation is that benzodiazepines are used as a means to attempt suicide by intentional overdose, a method that is common among those with SUDs (Darke and Ross, 2001; Neale, 2000).
- Common complaints reported with varying frequency by patients treated with alprazolam include sedation, fatigue, ataxia, amnesia, slurred speech, poor concentration, hypersensitivity, and irritability.
- Benzodiazepines are used to treat a wide range of ailments, including anxiety and sleep disorders.
- If you or someone you know is struggling with benzodiazepine abuse, it’s essential to seek help from a healthcare professional or addiction specialist.
- Alprazolam should not be prescribed at a higher dose than is US FDA-recommended, and providers should consider discontinuation if patients are requesting higher doses, as it may signal therapeutic tolerance and/or misuse.
Signs of Benzodiazepine Abuse
The striatum is a heterogeneous structure connected to dopaminergic reward circuitry, receiving input from the prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area to guide behavioral output, including motor planning, decision-making, motivation, and reward. Most drugs involved in misuse or addiction consistently lead to dopamine release in the striatum (Di Chiara and Imperato, 1988; White and Kalivas, 1998; Willuhn et al., benzodiazepine withdrawal 2010; Vander Weele et al., 2014). Descriptions of studies performed on specific treatments of benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal symptoms. There are pharmacological options for treatment in those suffering from withdrawal or wishing to discontinue their chronic BZD use.
What Are the Long-Term Use Side Effects of Benzodiazepine Abuse?
Most studies conducted to assess benzodiazepines misuse liability in head-to-head comparisons are more than 20 years old. Many medications have been tested to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and make it easier for patients to discontinue BZD since a gradual taper does not always lead to successful discontinuation of the drug. Currently, a gradual taper with clonazepam is used as maintenance therapy for BZD-dependent patients. However, it still carries the risk for abuse and dependence since this is also a BZD, albeit a slow-acting one 67.
Benzodiazepine abuse
Following this, 39 articles were retrieved out of which four were not accessible. Final full texts of 35 article are reviewed and eight studies written in English which reported the use of benzodiazepines during COVID-19 pandemic are included. The final eight articles were deemed suitable to be included for the conciseness of this review. An overview of findings on sociodemographic correlates of benzodiazepine misuse is presented in Table 3. The findings on substance use and psychiatric correlates of benzodiazepine misuse presented below have been replicated in numerous samples; details and further citations in support of these findings are included in Supplementary Materials.
List of Common Benzos
Given the significant concerns of potential risk, but conflicting reports of causation of teratogenic effects, a careful risk-benefit analysis and informed consent is critical when considering prescribing alprazolam for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Alprazolam and its 2 hydroxylated metabolites are known to cross the placenta. Retrospective studies evaluating pregnancy outcomes of women exposed to alprazolam during the first trimester of pregnancy found conflicting results of congenital anomalies (Iqbal et al., 2002). Some studies in the past have shown that there is a correlation between chronic BZD use and a decline in cognitive function, including the development of dementia and dementia-like diseases. One study showed a potential for cognitive decline after BZD use in the elderly, but at the same time did not find a link between their use and the development of Alzheimer’s dementia 73. The researchers in the study cautioned the prescription of BZD in the elderly due to the potential for cognitive decline 73.