Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Treatment for Substance Abusers.

Benzodiazepines belong to the “sedative” class of drugs.  By nature, it’s formulated to deliver users a calming sensation. 

Despite this, benzos are highly addictive, and individuals abusing them will usually face an array of undesirable symptoms during withdrawals. 

Psychological, physical, and behavioral symptoms can make weaning off of benzo-use challenging for those struggling with chemical dependency.

The use of benzodiazepines has become widespread nationwide.  Between 1996 and 2013, the number of individuals filling prescriptions for benzos rose by 67 percent[1].  Benzodiazepine dependence has become more prevalent among all ages.  From teens to mature adults, people of all ages (over half a million people per year in the United States) misuse sedative drugs[2].

Aimed to curb the misuse rate of such substances, Rehab South Florida takes a patient-centric approach to help clients overcome benzo dependency.  With the use of evidence-based treatments administered by some of the best addiction specialists in the field, we’ve achieved higher-than-average success rates in the treatment of benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal management.

According to DrugAbuse.gov, over 30% of all opioid-induced overdoses involve the use of benzodiazepines[3].  This demonstrates the need for availability of treatment programs that are focused on the recovery from comorbid dependencies involving benzodiazepines.

Most commonly prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, benzo-based medications have a high potential for abuse.  This is due to the euphoric, happy-felt feeling that even short-term users begin seeking as they begin to increase the amount that they take to achieve the same euphoric effects due to increased tolerance.

“Between the years 2004-2011, benzo-related emergency room visits soared by nearly 150%.”

Are you or a loved one struggling with addiction?  Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse

If you or a loved one struggle with addiction to medications such as Xanax, Klonopin, Valium or Ativan, immediate help should be sought. Seeing yourself or a loved one struggle with addiction can be a heart-breaking reality. It’s important to know that life-changing help is available and that immediate treatment is available for you or the close friend or relative you’re concerned about.
In some cases, determining that someone is misusing benzodiazepines can be difficult. This is especially trying when he/she is prescribed the medication you’re suspecting them of abusing. You may be worried about your loved one, but not quite sure if they’re taking their prescription as-prescribed.

One aspect of benzodiazepines that makes it unique to other drugs is that it’s often used in conjunction with other substances to achieve an enhanced high. For example, some may combine their Ativan with an opioid or their Xanax with alcohol.

Signs of such behavior would be convulsions, seizures, slurred speech, breathing issues, and unusual shaking (tremors) .
Chronic benzodiazepine abusers are also at an increased risk of developing dementia and/or memory loss. If the suspected benzo-misuser that once had an excellent memory begins to forget what they had for dinner and doesn’t remember the day of the week, it could possibly be attributed to the benzodiazepine abuse.

Behavioral symptoms can also be a key sign that benzo misuse is occurring. As with most substances, benzodiazepine abuse can (and often will) lead to behavioral changes that better accommodate the substance abuser’s addiction. This usually translates into the substance abuser withdrawing from social functions, friends, and family events. Losing interest in work, school, and once-enjoyed hobbies are also tell-tale signs of abuse.

It’s at this point that relationships between the dependent and those around him/her begin to deteriorate as he/she has become more interested in their addiction than in nurturing the relationships and life-obligations they have.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Treatment – What you Need to Know

Benzodiazepine withdrawals are dangerous, especially when not properly treated. 

Those quitting benzos without a proper detoxification protocol could experience a possibly-fatal grand mal seizure or delirium tremens[1].  This is why we, at Rehab South Florida, offer medication-assisted treatment.  Without rehab, you won’t have access to the high-grade tapering medications needed to avoid experiences that include delirium and/or hallucinations.  These experiences could cause the drug abuser to feel “out of touch with reality” and lead to a dangerous and terrifying experience.

At-home detox kits or self-rehab attempts are perfectly safe for “certain” substances of abuse.  This isn’t the case with Benzodiazepines.  However, your benzo addiction may not require you to be in our inpatient program.  Many patients have successfully overcome benzo addiction through outpatient treatment.

Rehab South Florida has made accessibility to assistance with benzodiazepine withdrawal management easier than ever. 

With multiple coverage providers accepted, we make it easy for those challenged with addiction to receive the help they need under the care and supervision of the best treatment professionals in the state including Dr Vikram Tarugu, an expert in addiction treatment and rehabilitation.

Urges, cravings, and emotional distress are commonly-experienced benzo withdrawal symptoms.  Due to these emotions, many benzo users have difficulty with stopping use alone, as these symptoms usually override one’s ability to quit and will encourage them to seek out the drug.

This is why benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment in rehab is recommended.  Recovery doesn’t need to be a solo-effort journey; RSF is an adequately-equipped and staffed facility ready to be by your side every step of the way.

We uphold treatment protocols to above-industry standards and use in-house designed patient-tailored programs to treat acute benzodiazepine withdrawal to help clients have a near symptom-free recovery.

In a professional, medically-monitored recovery environment, Rehab South Florida clients are able to:

• Undergo detox to help rid the body from the presence of benzodiazepines. This phase of recovery will physically prepare you for a successful and more comfortable journey.
• Receive round-the-clock care from on-site clinicians and treatment professionals that are ready in a moment’s notice to tend to a client’s needs and medical emergencies. At-home detox is dangerous as the body and mind undergo profound changes when not receiving the benzos it is dependent on.  This can lead to intense cravings, sickness, and other life-threatening symptoms.  In rehab, you’ll have on-demand access to medical attention to ensure a safe, smooth-sailing, and complication-free recovery experience.
• Have access to award-winning therapists that help educate clients on coping mechanisms for success during their residential treatment. One-on-one sessions with heart-felt therapy coaches help clients to feel loved, embraced and understood.  We understand this life-changing move can seem overwhelming.  We take that into account when acting upon our treatment protocols and offer each patient a level of care and support that sets the client-care standard.

Benzodiazepines – Signs and Symptoms of Withdrawal from Abuse

Symptoms of withdrawal can occur within as little as a few hours to days from the last time of use.  Even for those taking small, therapeutic doses, withdrawals can be rather challenging.  Roughly forty percent of people using benzos for longer than a six-month period experience withdrawal symptoms which can range from moderate to severe.[1]  The remaining sixty percent usually encounter mild symptoms.

There are a number of factors that determine the severity of withdrawal symptoms, including the:

• Dosage amount(s) taken
• Duration in which benzos were taken
• User takes more than one benzo in a single dose
• User having a comorbid dependence (mixing sedatives with benzos)
• User abusing substances concurrently
• User quitting the use of more than one substance

Benzodiazepine withdrawal is a complex process.  The severity of symptoms usually correlates with the specific type of benzo(s) used.

For example, Alprazolam (Xanax) and Lorazepam (Ativan) are considered short-acting drugs.  This means they leave the system quickly, which can cause withdrawal to emerge within as little as 12 hours following the last dose.

Other benzos, such as Clonazepam (Klonopin), are long-lasting.  This means you may not notice withdrawals for 2-3 days (and sometimes longer) after the previous dose. 

Some turn to the use of a benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment medication for symptom relief, but in many cases, they aren’t as effective as those administered in a professional rehab setting.  Rehab South Florida understands the complexities surrounding benzo-based addictions and uses advanced medical solutions to address, cure, and treat addiction.

There are many signs of benzodiazepine withdrawal, including the occurrence of:

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Hand tremors
• Muscle spasms
• Headache
• Sweating
• Racing pulse
• Hyperventilation
• Nausea or vomiting
• Aches and pains
• Panic attacks
• Hypersensitivity to “light” and “touch”
• Abnormal bodily sensations
• Depression
• Concentration/memory issues
• Visual impairment (ex. “blurred vision”)
• Auditory, tactile, or visual hallucinations
• Feelings of unreality
• Delirium
• Grand mal seizures[1]

According to reports from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), short-acting benzo withdrawal symptoms typically peak at the 48-hour mark and begin to diminish around day four/five.  However, in more severe cases, some users report symptoms that last weeks.

It’s estimated that between 10%-25% of chronic users may develop protracted withdrawal, a long-term withdrawal syndrome lasting for months.[2]  At Rehab South Florida, we address withdrawals at the root-cause and alleviate urges through therapy combined with clinically-advanced medications designed to relieve symptoms, even for severe, chronic cases of addiction.

Help is ONLY a Phone Call Away

Addiction is a struggle faced by so many.  It’s a dark-filled world for those faced with addiction that feel there’s not a way out. 

Give yourself the help you need.  Get the support your friend or loved one deserves.

Addiction to benzodiazepines is a serious matter that should be addressed by medical and recovery experts experienced in the treatment of such dependencies.  Unlike most centers, our holistic-focused treatments address underlying causes of the addiction that collaborates with ongoing coping-development therapies that easy recovery process for clients.

To explore treatment options available to you or someone in need, please inquire with one of our friendly admission specialists at 561-933-5522.

 

References:

[1] Bachhuber, M. A., Hennessy, S., Cunningham, C. O., & Starrels, J. L. (2016, April). Increasing Benzodiazepine Prescriptions and Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1996-2013. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4816010/.

[2] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, & Center for Behavioral Health Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR2-2015/NSDUH-FFR2-2015.htm.

[3] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018, March 15). Benzodiazepines and Opioids. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/benzodiazepines-opioids.

[4] Pétursson, H. (1994, November). The benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7841856.

[5] Guina, J., & Merrill, B. (2018, January 30). Benzodiazepines I: Upping the Care on Downers: The Evidence of Risks, Benefits and Alternatives. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852433/.

[6] Sachdeva, A., Choudhary, M., & Chandra, M. (2015, September). Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Benzodiazepines and Beyond. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4606320/.

[7] Guina, J., & Merrill, B. (2018, January 30). Benzodiazepines I: Upping the Care on Downers: The Evidence of Risks, Benefits and Alternatives. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852433/.

[8] Guarnotta, E. (2019, September 6). Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Signs, Symptoms & Treatment Info. Retrieved from https://drugabuse.com/benzodiazepines/withdrawal/.

[9] Ashton, H. (1991). Protracted withdrawal syndromes from benzodiazepines. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1675688.