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Off paroxetine, I initially experienced hypomania, sweating, and electrical-feeling“brain zaps”,26 the last continuing for 7 months. I spent hours hunting for journalarticles about antidepressant withdrawal syndrome. My request to my psychiatristsfor reinstatement of paroxetine, as the literature said was appropriate,26,31 wasrefused.

  1. Typically, inpatient and residential programs include individual and group counseling, education, behavioral therapies, and medication if needed.
  2. Self-help groups, such as 12-Step groups, may also benefit recovery.
  3. Often nicknamed “benzos,” these drugs can become highly addictive if they aren’t used properly.
  4. Quitting Xanax abruptly can cause undesirable withdrawal symptoms, some of which may require medical intervention.
  5. Typically, a minimum of eight weeks is required to effectively wean off Xanax.

During benzodiazepine withdrawal, rebound anxiety or panic attacks are common. Buspirone provides a non-benzodiazepine option for treating these instances, and its effects are considered similar to benzodiazepines but without the potential for physical dependence. As psychotropic post-acute withdrawal symptoms do, mine fluctuated andmutated,28,32,33 including 1.5 years of crippling muscle pain and spasms. For people withdrawing from these potent, short-acting drugs it is advisable to switch to a long-acting, slowly metabolised benzodiazepine such as diazepam. Diazepam (Valium) is one of the most slowly eliminated benzodiazepines.

Long-Term Treatment for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

It is a good idea to make out a dosage reduction schedule for the initial stages (see below) and to give your doctor a copy. You may need to mention the importance of flexibility, so that the rate of dosage tapering can be amended at any time. There may even be circumstances when you need to stop for a while at a certain stage. A continuation schedule can follow later depending upon how you get on, and the doctor can continue prescribing in accordance with the new schedule. Estimates suggest that about 10% to 25% of people who use benzodiazepines long term experience what’s known as protracted withdrawal.

A third important practical factor is the available dosage formulations of the various benzodiazepines. In withdrawal you need a long-acting drug which can be reduced in very small steps. Diazepam (Valium) is the only benzodiazepine that is ideal for this purpose since it comes in 2mg tablets, which are scored down the middle and easily halved into 1 mg doses. Even by halving these tablets the smallest reduction one could easily make is the equivalent of 2.5mg diazepam. (Some patients become very adept at shaving small portions off their tablets).

After a month or so, your brain gets used to sending off more neurotransmitters just so some can get past the benzodiazepine blockade. When benzodiazepines attach to your neurons, they invite a bunch of chloride ions inside. These ions change the neuron’s electrical charge, so it has to work much harder to activate and send signals. Among respondents whose symptoms lasted months or years, over half said caffeine or alcohol worsened their PAWS symptoms. Counseling cases like mine every day, I do not want more people to suffer as Isuffered.

The Importance of Medical Detox

In the worst cases, you may experience seizures, psychosis, suicidal thoughts and actions and violent behavior during benzo withdrawal. But quitting almost anything that provides positive feedback in the brain is easier said than done. Dependence means that your body and mind feel like they can’t function without the input of a substance. As soon as you remove this substance from your system, the resulting period of benzo withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable.

As mentioned before, almost anyone who really wants to come off can come off benzodiazepines. When it comes to the long-term management of getting off benzodiazepines, lsd overdose lsd overdose treatment signs and symptoms learn more there are two directions you can go. Research shows that most stable, healthy adults will achieve long-term abstinence after completing a taper.

Find a More Constructive Outlet for Stress and Anxiety

Your doctor can help you weigh the potential risks and benefits of benzodiazepine use and your pregnancy. Emerging research also suggests acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) could also have benefits during benzodiazepine withdrawal. This approach helps you learn to tolerate discomfort and distress, instead of avoiding it, and choose to live according to your values.

All those extra chemicals flood your brain, and the excess activity causes symptoms like anxiety and sweating. Consequently, experts recommend you take benzodiazepines for no more than 2 weeks if you use them daily. If you only use them once every few days, you may be able to take them for up to 4 weeks. In a study reported by Syracuse Local News, 79 percent of supplement labels were missing some or all ingredients found to be in the products. Withdrawal symptoms occur because the body and brain have become accustomed to the presence of a drug. When that drug is absent, the body is thrown into a state of imbalance.

Reckless prescribing practices have contributed to thousands of cases of dependence and misuse. Research shows that in 2018, an estimated 5.4 million people over the age of 12 misused prescription benzodiazepines like Xanax. Benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety, epilepsy, insomnia, and alcohol withdrawal. As a general rule of thumb, physicians and rehabilitation personnel suggest a reduction in benzo use by increments of 10% every week. A less conservative approach can push these numbers into the 25% range if necessary — this approach is usually for patients who’ve tried but did not succeed with a taper before. Medical detox involves tapering off the benzo drug under the supervision of a doctor.

You should only be prescribed benzodiazepines for the shortest amount of time possible. Taking benzodiazepines regularly for a few weeks or more can lead to addiction. You should stay in hospital during withdrawal if you have severe alcohol dependence.

Do benzodiazepines affect other medications?

This usually occurs within one to four days after you stop using the drug and is characterized by uncomfortable anxiety and insomnia. Generally, the entire benzo withdrawal period lasts about 10 to 14 days. Some people experience additional symptoms as part of a condition called post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).

The primary difference between these drugs is the length of time they stay active in the body. However, benzodiazepines can cause physical dependence and withdrawal what to look for in a substance abuse counselor even when they are taken as directed. Benzodiazepines are a group of central nervous system depressants used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and seizures.

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