Among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), conditional dependence, or the percentage of people with misuse who meet criteria for dependence, for benzodiazepines is lower than for other substances (Wu et al., 2012). Benzodiazepines can be an important treatment option for treating disorders for which these drugs are indicated. However, even when taken at recommended dosages, their use can lead to misuse, abuse, and addiction.

Benzodiazepine Abuse Treatment

About 3/4 of deaths that involve benzodiazepines also involve an opioid drug. This is not all the information you need to know about benzodiazepines for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your doctor’s directions. Discuss any medical questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.

When do benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms start?

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development. Take our free, 5-minute substance abuse self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with substance abuse. The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of a substance use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result. Individuals who are concerned that someone they know or love is abusing benzodiazepines should keep in mind that although these drugs are legally manufactured and prescribed by doctors, they are acutely addictive and available for sale on the street.

Benzodiazepines Overdose

Table ​Table11 below demonstrates half-life, onset of action and dose equivalency of commonly utilized benzodiazepines. If cost is a concern for any medicine, be sure to speak to your physician before prescriptions are written and discuss options with your pharmacist, as well. Remember that drug prices are subject to change at any time and may differ among pharmacies. Many traditional benzodiazepines are broken down in the liver and when combined with drugs that block this action, blood levels can rise, leading to side effects. Lorazepam, oxazepam and temazepam are less likely to have this risk due to fewer liver enzyme interactions. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy that usually begins in early childhood and also causes developmental and behavior problems..

Benzodiazepine Addiction Treatment

All methods were carried out in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA; Moher et al., 2015). See Supplementary Materials for additional details on methods, including search terms, inclusion criteria, and data extraction methods. If you’re uninsured or under-insured, SAMSA can refer you to state-funded treatment programs, programs that accept Medicare or Medicaid, and those that charge on a sliding scale. If you have health insurance, your insurer can give you a list of providers and facilities covered by your plan.

• High-risk patients are best managed with initial stabilisation and maintenance therapy in specialist residential or outpatient addiction services.
• Some people who are prescribed benzodiazepines become dependent on them and end up misusing them.
• They can be chronically misused or, as seen more commonly in hospital emergency departments, intentionally or accidentally taken in overdose.
• Flunitrazepam is one of the commonly abused drugs and has been referred to as date rape drug, roofies, or forget-me-pill [22].
• Anticonvulsants have some efficacy in benzodiazepine withdrawal if the patient is not dependent on other drugs.
• But they can be addictive, especially if you take them every day or use them long-term.

Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence

This is done if there is any concern that the overdose was swallowed intentionally and that the person may be at risk of harming himself or herself or others. In general, the optimal treatment of these conditions in primary care is non-pharmacological, particularly psychological and behavioural, therapies. Because of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, long-term use of benzodiazepines can lead to dose escalation and worsening severe benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome of the underlying condition. Food and Drug Administration boxed warnings on their labels highlighting the potential dangers of using these drugs together. Taking opioids in combination with other central nervous system depressants—like benzodiazepines, alcohol, or xylazine—increases the risk of life-threatening overdose.1,2 Learn more about the effects of taking more than one type of drug (polysubstance use) from the U.S.

• Among people taking benzodiazepines for longer than six months, about 40% experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms when they quit suddenly.
• Benzodiazepine misuse and dependence appears to be more common among older adults with a prescription or who are treated in psychiatric settings (Landreat et al., 2010; Voyer et al., 2009; Yen et al., 2015).
• Many traditional benzodiazepines are broken down in the liver and when combined with drugs that block this action, blood levels can rise, leading to side effects.
• We are requiring the Boxed Warning, FDA’s most prominent warning, be updated and adding other information to the prescribing information for all benzodiazepine medicines.