They are safe when used as directed and often bring quick relief from panic symptoms. The best resource in your quest to quit benzodiazepines is your prescribing doctor. If you prefer someone else, any primary care physician or psychiatrist can help you taper your dose.

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• Prevalence rates for past-year tranquilizer misuse were nearly identical to those reported for cocaine use.
• No medication has been shown to be effective for treating benzodiazepine use disorder.
• There is therefore a need to develop a better evidence base and treatment paradigm for these patients.
• More recent research is focusing on the possible adverse effects on cognition (thinking and reasoning ability) in patients using benzodiazepines for long periods of time.
• This form of epilepsy may involve seizures of multiple types, mental impairment, and a particular brain wave pattern.

Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus. Five out of eight studies showed an increase in benzodiazepine use, whereas two have reported a decrease.

Medical Treatment for Benzodiazepine Misuse

Looking at this question in a different way, a recent general population study comparing people who reported only using benzodiazepine as prescribed to people who reported misuse did not find an effect of racial/ethnic identity (Maust et al., 2018). For example, several studies controlling for history of a benzodiazepine prescription have identified higher misuse rates (Fenton et al., 2010; Maust et al., 2018) and higher likelihood of developing a use disorder among men (Lev-Ran et al., 2013). This is consistent with data from approximate 85,000 high school students across Europe, in which gender moderated the association between having a prescription and misuse, such that exposure via prescription increased the likelihood of misuse more in boys than girls (Kokkevi et al., 2008). These findings illustrate that gender differences in misuse might vary according to prescription status and age.

4. The How and Why of Benzodiazepine Misuse: Sources, Patterns, and Motives

Withdrawal reactions can also occur if the drug is stopped suddenly, especially those that are shorter-acting. Discontinuation of a benzodiazepine should be done gradually under a doctor’s direction. Benzodiazepines open GABA-activated chloride channels and allow chloride ions to enter the neuron. This action allows the neuron to become negatively charged and resistant to excitation, which leads to the various anti-anxiety, sedative, or anti-seizure activity seen with these drugs. The decrease in nervous system activity makes these medications helpful for a variety of symptoms and conditions.

• Careful medication management by health care professionals can reduce the increased risk of serious side effects.
• Some biological risk factors for benzodiazepine abuse include female gender and elderly age group.
• People with psychiatric symptoms and disorders also appear to be more vulnerable to benzodiazepine misuse.
• In addition, the proportion of individuals with past-year tranquilizer misuse who are over the age of 50 doubled from 2005–2006 to 2013–2014 (from 7.9% to 16.5%; Palamar et al., 2019).
• Doctors recommend waiting until all benzodiazepines pass out of your system before you drink alcohol.

Bromazepam has shown itself to be at least as effective as alprazolam as anxiolytic, and a superior sedative. We hypothesized an increase in benzodiazepine use during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluated the extent of benzodiazepine use during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of benzodiazepine prescription and other illicit use. The aim of this comprehensive review was to severe benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome characterize the current state of the science on the epidemiology of benzodiazepine misuse. Some people also use them to try to ease the comedown from cocaine or other stimulants. Using benzos along with other drugs, especially “downers” like opioids, is particularly risky. Most benzodiazepines are available in a generic form which can lead to cost-savings for patients.

Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

• Only short-term use of low-dose benzodiazepines (2 to 6 weeks) is recommended, with a slow, gradual tapering once the antidepressant effect takes hold.
• Short-acting benzodiazepines complicate withdrawal with too many ups and downs.
• Urine drug screening is complicated by the presence of benzodiazepine metabolites.
• The requirements led to a disproportionate reduction in prescribing to low-income and minority subpopulations and also led to a greater reduction in appropriate prescribing.
• The primary disadvantage of benzodiazepines is the risk of abuse, dependence, and overdose (especially with opiates).

Are Benzodiazepines Legal?

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