Drug detox is never pleasant, but benzodiazepine detox can be dangerous. Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a type of psychoactive drugs that act like minor tranquilizers or sedatives. These drugs are typically medically prescribed, but due to their addictive nature are commonly abused.
Benzodiazepine Drugs
Benzos possess psycholeptic, hypnotic, sedative, and amnesic effects. They’re commonly used to treat alcohol dependency, seizures, anxiety and panic disorders, agitation, and insomnia. The most commonly prescribed benzo drugs are:
- Valium
- Xanax
- Klonopin
- Ativan
- Restoril
- Dalmane
- Libirum
- Ambien
- GHB
- Flexeril
- Fioricet, Fiornial, Esgic Plus
- Soma
Benzodiazepine Effects
The most common side effects of benzodiazepines are sedation and muscle relaxing. These effects are why benzo drugs are prescribed for panic and anxiety disorders as well as seizures. Simply put, benzos relax the body and mind.
However, there are some negative side effects on benzos as well. They can make patients drowsy, dizzy, decrease coordination, and can cause depression. The risk of these side effects developing increase with long-term use. Benzos can also cause seizures or death if abused or taken with alcohol or other drugs.
Benzodiazepine Detox
Detoxing is never easy or fun, but benzo detox can be particularly dangerous. Benzo withdrawal can be even more dangerous if they were abused with alcohol as well. This drug has a high risk of seizures during withdrawal, which is why it is important to seek medical detox help.
Other common benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, tremors, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, muscle spasms, and night sweats.
Here at Delray Center for Addiction Medicine, we recommend a slower paced detox process. Quick benzo and alcohol detox can cause brain damage due to brain cell death from electrical over-activity. By using appropriate medication and slow detox, this can be avoided.