Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome BWS Benzodiazepine Information Coalition

Signs of Benzo Withdrawal

Because of this, it is recommended that you consult with either your primary care physician, the doctor who prescribed you your benzos, or a treatment professional before you stop taking benzos. Often they will administer a tapering-off plan as well as medically monitor you to minimize the dangers of withdrawal symptoms and treat any of the more severe symptoms as they pop up. Acute withdrawal begins as soon as you stop taking benzos and is often marked by many, if not all of the physical and psychological symptoms listed above. Depending on benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome the person and factors such as age, overall health, dosage, and frequency of use, acute withdrawal can last anywhere from a few days and a few weeks. To cope with physical discomfort during benzodiazepine withdrawal, individuals may benefit from engaging in relaxation exercises, massage therapy, and physical activity such as yoga or swimming.

  • If a loved one or family member is going through benzodiazepine withdrawal, they may seem easily agitated or irritable.
  • In fact, if you take your medication every other day, you may notice rebound symptoms on the day between doses.
  • As mentioned before, depression can be a real problem in withdrawal and can sometimes be severe enough to pose a risk of suicide, though this is unusual with slow tapering.
  • Longer-acting benzodiazepines like Klonopin (clonazepam) can stay in the system longer, which means it can be one to two days or even longer before withdrawal symptoms start.
  • One lady described how thrilled she was when she could suddenly see individual blades of grass in her newly bright green lawn; it was like the lifting of a veil.

What makes benzodiazepine withdrawal so dangerous?

Signs of Benzo Withdrawal

Many women complain of menstrual problems but these are common in the general population and there is no clear evidence that they are directly attributable to benzodiazepines. A proportion of female long-term benzodiazepine users have had hysterectomies, but again there is no evidence of a direct link with benzodiazepine use. Occasionally both men and women on benzodiazepines complain of breast swelling or engorgement and it is possible that benzodiazepines affect secretion of the hormone prolactin. Endocrine symptoms that are due to benzodiazepines improve after withdrawal. Once the hallucinations, which seem real at the time, are recognised as “merely” hallucinations, they quickly become less alarming.

Signs of Benzo Withdrawal

Overall effects on everyday life

Therefore, when the drug is reduced or removed, the brain struggles to readjust, leading to a range of withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, abrupt cessation or a rapid reduction in dose can trigger withdrawal symptoms, a testament to the brain’s dependency on the drug. This necessitates a careful and medically supervised tapering process for those wishing to discontinue their use. Like many other issues concerning benzodiazepines, the answers to these questions are still unclear. Benzodiazepine concentrations in the blood have been measured and shown to reach undetectable levels in 3-4 weeks after cessation of use in people withdrawn from clinical doses. Information on benzodiazepine concentrations in the brain and Halfway house other tissues is difficult to obtain, especially in humans.

How long does it take for withdrawal symptoms to appear after stopping benzodiazepines?

There is no need to avoid ordinary pain killers such as Tylenol, Feldene etc. for everyday aches and pains. Once started on an antidepressant for depression, the treatment should be continued for some months (usually about 6 months) to avoid recurrence of the depression. Benzodiazepine tapering can continue during this time, and the antidepressant will sometimes act as a welcome umbrella during the last stages of withdrawal. It is important to finish the benzodiazepine withdrawal before starting to withdraw the antidepressant.

Signs of Benzo Withdrawal

GABA is responsible for reducing the activity of neurons in the brain, which helps to calm the nervous system. By enhancing GABA activity, benzodiazepines can produce a range of effects, including sedation, relaxation, and muscle relaxation. Benzodiazepine dependence is a significant concern, especially given the widespread prescription of these drugs for anxiety and sleep disorders. While exact figures vary, a significant percentage of long-term users will experience some form of withdrawal upon discontinuation. It is important to note that these symptom lists are not meant to diagnose or take the place of medical advice.

  • Among people taking benzodiazepines for longer than six months, about 40% experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms when they quit suddenly.
  • However, many people who are prescribed benzos do not take them only for a short period of time.
  • However, there is no need to drink extra amounts of fluid during withdrawal with the idea of “flushing out impurities/toxins”.
  • In time, the majority of people recover completely—often experiencing good mental and physical health for the first time in a long time.
  • But if you remove the drug all at once, your brain doesn’t have enough time to prepare, and you can develop life-threatening symptoms like seizures.

Signs of Benzo Withdrawal

I hardly dare to mention smoking in view of present day attitudes to this unfortunate addiction, but for those who are smokers it is probably asking too much to attempt to stop smoking and withdraw benzodiazepines at the same time. Many people have found that giving up smoking is easier when they are off benzodiazepines, when the desire for nicotine may even wane somewhat. In general, excessive worrying over your undesirable habits (or your diet) can add to the stress of withdrawal. Also, people who have gone back on benzodiazepines, having failed at the first attempt at withdrawal, can be just as successful at tapering as first-timers. If sleep is really a problem, a small dose of a tricyclic antidepressant with sedative effects (see antidepressants, above) is a possible option. Alternatively, an antihistamine with sedative effects (e.g. diphenylhydramine Benadryl, promethazine Phenergan) may be used temporarily.

What is it like to experience benzodiazepine withdrawal?

If you take away the blockades gradually, your brain can reduce its chemical traffic to match. But if you remove the drug all at once, your brain doesn’t have enough time to prepare, and you can develop life-threatening symptoms like seizures. But when you start removing benzodiazepines from your system, suddenly your clogged neurons become an open freeway with no traffic lanes. All those extra chemicals flood your brain, and the excess activity causes symptoms like anxiety https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and sweating. Experiencing rebound symptoms means the symptoms you had before taking benzodiazepines come back even stronger than before.