Benzo Detox and the Effects of a Bendodiazepine Addiction
Benzodiazepines depress the central nervous system and are typically prescribed for people with insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, and symptoms related to withdrawals from alcohol. They work by slowing down brain function. Because of the calming, euphoric effect, they create they are often misused by individuals. For individuals trying to deal with stress or seeking relief from some pain or trauma in reality, benzodiazepines seem like a tool in helping them cope with the stresses of life.
Repeated use of benzodiazepines (commonly referred to as benzos) can result in a dangerous physical addiction requiring some form of professional addiction treatment to overcome. People who try to go through a benzo detox on their own can suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms including shaking, anxiety, abdominal cramps and vomiting, and even life-threatening seizures.
Seeking professional help for a benzo detox will help alleviate these potentially dangerous symptoms and ensure that you or your loved one gets safely on the road to recovery from dependence on benzodiazepines. It is always best to have medical guidance during a benzo detox in order to receive proper care and ensure that you remain in good health.
Oftentimes an addiction to benzodiazepines occurs accidentally from a prescription received from a doctor. Benzos can be prescribed for a specific medical condition that afflicts a person, but this also allows for easier illicit access. While benzos may help manage or treat conditions like insomnia and anxiety, individuals may begin to associate benzos with fixing the problem and making them feel better. This is why addiction to prescribed medication is not an uncommon occurrence. If this is your case there is no need to feel ashamed to require a benzo detox to overcome your addiction.
Millions of other Americans have sought treatment for benzo addiction, and according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, benzos are one of the most commonly ill-used prescription medications. Once addicted, the most important step you can take is to seek professional help with a medically-assisted benzo detox to get you headed safely in the right direction.
Most Common Prescription Benzodiazepines
Many different prescription drugs fall into the category of benzodiazepines, and they have varying degrees of potential for ill-use, and therefore addiction.
Here is a list of some of the prescription benzodiazepines for which we provide medically- assisted detox, along with some of the street names for commonly ill-used benzos:
- Ativan (lorazepam) street names include: Control, Silence, Nerve Pills, Trances
- Dalmane (flurazepam)
- Diastat or Valium (diazepam) street names include: Moggies, Vallies, Jellies, Blues, Yellows
Doral (quazepam) - Halcion (triazolam) street names include: Up Johns
- Klonopin (clonazepam) street names include: Clons, K-pins, Pins, Super Valium
- Librium (chlordiazepoxide) street names include: Blue Bombs, Tranks, Blues, Ruffies
- Paxipam (halazepam)
- ProSom (estazolam)
- Restoril (temazepam) street names include: Tems, Temazzies, Norries, Rugby Balls
- Serax (oxazepam)
- Tranxene-SD (clorazepate)
- Xanax (alprazolam) street names include: Xannies (Zannies), Bars, Z-Bars, Totem Poles
There are other benzos not on this list that we can help you detox from, but the first step is to reach out for the help you need. With that first step, your recovery is one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Effects Of A Benzodiazepine Abuse
Like many other prescription drugs, benzodiazepines change your brain’s chemistry with the intended result being a calmer, less anxious state. Normally this calmer, feel-good state is caused by a compound in your brain called dopamine. By replacing the naturally occurring dopamine in your brain with benzos, an artificially created euphoric state will occur. The naturally occurring state can occur after eating, sex, or a good workout.
So when there is an artificial substitute (drug) like benzos readily available to create the same good feelings with minimal effort and on demand, some individuals may be inclined to turn to the drug as a way of achieving the euphoric feelings. After a while, this continued use will lead to dependence and then addiction. People who have become addicted to benzos can find it impossible to function in life without them. When turning to substance use as a solution to any conflict or negative emotional state, the body begins to expect benzos whenever any conflict or situation that an individual wants to escape from arises.
Withdrawal Symptoms During Benzo Detox
When someone who is physically dependent on Benzos stops taking them, their body will begin rebelling against the physical cravings with several uncomfortable and potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can occur due to the body’s rapid attempt to adjust to the lack of a substance that it has grown accustomed to having in its system.
The withdrawal symptoms you can experience during benzo detox include the following:
- Nervousness
- Inability to Focus
- Panic Attacks
- Sleep Disturbance
- Trembling or Shaking
- Increased Tension
- Anxiety
- Heart Palpitations
- Vomiting and Abdominal
- Cramps
- Shaking and Tremors
- Cold Sweats
- Headaches
- Body aches
- Seizures
What Happens During A Benzodiazepine Detox
Because everyone’s physical makeup is different, each person’s benzo detox will look slightly different. Their level of usage and degree of physical dependence will also affect the length and severity of their benzo detox. The initial symptoms will be much like having the flu or catching a bad cold. There will be body aches, cold sweats, and possibly tremors. These can be followed by more severe symptoms, even life-threatening, including panic attacks and seizures.
A benzo detox is the process of removing unwanted chemicals from the body, and medically-assisted detox is a methodical process of managing the symptoms that will occur. With the aid of Pathways Recovery’s’ medical and clinical staff, a client’s symptoms will be reduced so that their benzo detox is as safe and as comfortable as possible.
The following guidelines were developed by the Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions for medically-assisted benzo detox:
- Detox in an inpatient setting is preferable for patients on high doses of benzodiazepines over a long period of time and with a history of overdose, seizures, comorbid medical or psychiatric disorders.
- People who cease high-dose benzodiazepines run the risk of seizures.
- Detox in inpatient settings may be necessary for patients who have had unsuccessful attempts to taper in outpatient settings.
- Depending on level of usage, it may be more appropriate for clinical settings to choose not to induct a person in Medication-assisted Treatment, or MAT, until benzodiazepine use has ceased and not manage a patient’s taper from benzodiazepines during MAT induction. This person may be more appropriate for inpatient detoxification.
- Only when there are no inpatient detox facilities available, a clinician may need to taper benzodiazepines in an outpatient setting.
Because of the risks and complexities of a benzo detox, it is highly recommended that people seek professional help. With the use of these guidelines and the experience of the medical, clinical, and therapeutic staff at Pathways Recovery, we can assure you or your loved ones that the process of going through a benzo detox will be as safe and as comfortable as possible.
Our Holistic Addiction Treatment Approach During Benzodiazepine Detoxification
When someone lacks the healthy skills to deal with the stress of life or with past trauma, the calming effects of benzos can be an attractive solution. Because of the increased tolerance that will happen over time, the user will need to use more of the drug to achieve the same calming effect. This continued ill-use will ultimately lead to a physical dependence and benzo addiction. When this occurs a medically-assisted benzo detox will be the only way you can safely and comfortably overcome the addiction.
By combining a medically- assisted benzo detox with a holistic addiction treatment approach, Pathways Recovery can help you or your loved one develop healthy and effective ways to cope with stress or past traumas. During your benzo detox, you will also be provided one-on-one counseling, group therapy, recovery planning, and trauma therapy. We will also provide you with nutritious meals to help your body heal and wellness activities like yoga to help you calm your mind. Our holistic addiction treatment approach will help you develop healthy solutions to life instead of reliance on an unhealthy dependence on benzos.
Call Our Sacramento Area Benzodiazepine Detoxification Program
For Help With Physical Dependence at:
We are a Sacramento based drug and alcohol detox center, drug and alcohol treatment center, and outpatient rehab center. We have program locations in Northern California serving areas in Sacramento, Roseville, Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Loomis, Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn, Grass Valley, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Davis. We can verify insurance coverage and benefit information in about an hour and can get the process of admission to our addiction treatment center started quickly. When you need an addiction treatment center that provides high quality care quickly, give us a call. It would be our pleasure to assist you.
To find out more how we can help call our drug and alcohol addiction center any time 24/7 at (916) 735-8377 for a confidential consultation.
Benzodiazepine Detox & Withdrawal FAQs
Is benzo withdrawal permanent?
Once you have successfully completed a benzo detox, withdrawal symptoms like nausea, shaking, and excessive sweating to name a few will subside. However, cravings for the drug can continue for months after a detox.
Withdrawal side effects usually subside once the body has adjusted well enough, but it is through therapy and additional treatment that you will learn how to manage cravings and ensure a successful, lifelong recovery.
What do benzos treat?
Benzodiazepines are a type of drug that can be prescribed by a doctor. This classification of drug depresses the central nervous system and is typically prescribed for people with insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, and symptoms related to withdrawals from alcohol. They work by slowing down the brain function. They can induce a calming, euphoric feeling, which can make them an appealing option for individuals looking to self-medicate.
How do you counteract benzos?
The best way to stop a benzo addiction is to seek help and go through the process of a medically-supervised benzo detox. This ensures that your health and well-being will be carefully monitored and you can receive the necessary treatment after detox to continue your lifelong recovery.
