How Long Does It Take to Detox from Benzos?

Long-term treatment after benzodiazepine withdrawal will depend on your reasons for taking them in the first place and your reasons for quitting. If you have a psychiatric condition that was managed by the benzodiazepines, you will need an alternative plan to manage your condition. Typically, this is a combination of therapy and pharmacologic support.

Tolerance and Withdrawal

During inpatient medical detox, the person has access to immediate care if they need it. Most often, the tapering process consists of using a long-acting benzodiazepine like Librium or Valium, starting with a dose that controls any withdrawal symptoms and then slowly tapering down the dose over time. Although this medication is used primarily when treating the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, that condition shares multiple similarities with benzodiazepine withdrawal. Acamprosate may be able to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, sleeplessness, and jitteriness. All a part of the depressant class of drugs, benzodiazepines produce very similar results on the body to alcohol and opioids because of their shared relationship to and effects on the CNS.

7. WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT FOR INHALANT DEPENDENCE

Although more research would be of value, the initial evidence suggests that providing methadone outside of OTPs is feasible, acceptable, and leads to good outcomes. As discussed, the development of tolerance to benzodiazepines is a medical condition, known as physical dependence. Tolerance is the process by which the brain becomes increasingly accustomed to the drug and, for this reason, requires more of it in order for the person to get the familiar high. When the brain does not get its familiar dose, because the person is abstaining or reducing the familiar amount, withdrawal is triggered. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines is considered to be particularly dangerous, and in some instances, it can be fatal. The sedative effect of these drugs, as well as their addiction-forming chemical properties, makes them ripe for abuse.

Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

For example, say you’re tapering off a dose of 20 milligrams (mg) of diazepam (Valium). A very quick taper would involve reducing the dose by 5 mg (25%) each week. People tapering off the same original https://rehabliving.net/older-adults-national-institute-on-alcohol-abuse/ dosage of medication can have drastically different tapering experiences. The 2022 survey mentioned above also asked respondents to what extent withdrawal symptoms affected their lives.

Medications

Experiencing rebound symptoms means the symptoms you had before taking benzodiazepines come back even stronger than before. 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.

1. Even if the patient’s equivalent diazepam dose exceeds 40mg, do not give greater than 40mg diazepam daily during this stabilisation phase.
2. Some of these effects can be potentially dangerous, including the development of seizures, hallucinations, labored breathing, and even the potential for cardiac arrest.
3. They can range in severity, though for some people, they remain mild and manageable.
4. But when you start removing benzodiazepines from your system, suddenly your clogged neurons become an open freeway with no traffic lanes.
5. For patients taking the equivalent of 40mg or more of diazepam, follow the high-dose benzodiazepine reducing schedule (Table 10).

Benzodiazepines are a powerful class of medication used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorder. Examples of benzodiazepines include alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium). While there is no FDA-approved medication to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal, your doctor may also prescribe other medications to help you manage withdrawal symptoms. The medication Romazicon (flumazenil) is sometimes used off-label for withdrawal symptoms. The onset of benzodiazepine withdrawal depends on the specific medication you are taking. Short-acting drugs like Xanax (alprazolam) and Ativan (lorazepam) leave the system quicker, which means withdrawal symptoms can appear in as little as eight to 12 hours.

Hence, it is extremely important to assess patients for alcohol dependence and monitor alcohol dependent patients carefully. Patients should drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day during stimulant withdrawal. Multivitamin supplements containing B group vitamins and vitamin C are recommended. Symptomatic medications should be offered as required for aches, anxiety and other symptoms. Because of its pharmacological action (partial opiate agonist), buprenorphine should only be given after the patient begins to experience withdrawal symptoms (i.e. at least eight hours after last taking heroin).

In the first week of tapering off, your doctor may reduce your dose as much as 30% to get you to a safe amount. After that first leap, the steps become smaller, usually 5% to 10% of the original dose. Depending on your situation, your doctor may reduce your dose on a monthly, https://soberhome.net/a-dmt-trip-feels-like-dying-and-scientists-now/ weekly, or even daily basis. 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.

If we aren’t extremely careful, the number of people addicted to and potentially dying in part due to benzos will continue to rise. Although some patients may prefer a quicker taper, this must be balanced with the severity of potential narcissism and alcoholism withdrawal symptoms. Even benzodiazepine tapers lasting one to two years can be successful. The severity of benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms can fluctuate markedly and withdrawal scales are not recommended for monitoring withdrawal.

Since these are prescription drugs, it is critical to note that some individuals may initially have a legitimate medical reason to use them, but over time, they develop a use disorder. If a patient who has a prescription for a benzodiazepine follows their doctor’s orders, a use disorder will not likely set in. But if a use disorder does arise, there are different ways people go about getting the volume they need (discussed below). Benzodiazepines, commonly referred to as benzos, are a Schedule IV controlled substance that depresses or slows the central nervous system (CNS) and its pursuant brain functioning. The brain and spinal cord are the two parts of the CNS, so anything that affects the CNS affects the entire mind and body. Benzodiazepines have surged in popularity alongside opioids and are actually involved in more than 30 percent of opioid overdoses.1 Benzos were involved in more than 12,000 overdose deaths in 2020 alone.

Your doctor can help you weigh the potential risks and benefits of benzodiazepine use and your pregnancy. Serenity at Summit is a network of addiction treatment facilities in the Northeastern United States, with centers in New Jersey and Massachusetts. We offer comprehensive, evidence-based treatment to support individuals in achieving and maintaining long-term sobriety.

Withdrawal symptoms from short-acting drugs, such as Xanax, may come on faster than withdrawal symptoms from long-acting drugs, such as Valium. There are three possible phases for benzo withdrawals, each with an estimated timeline. A person should always withdraw from benzos under the guidance of a healthcare professional. They should never quit benzos suddenly without first consulting a professional and developing a plan with them.

When paired with other depressants, the side effects of benzos can become disastrous and deadly because the side effects of each drug are enhanced, meaning the drugs interact and produce more severe side effects. Additionally, benzo withdrawal is one of the only withdrawal syndromes that can prove life-threatening. Stopping benzodiazepines all at once can be dangerous, so your doctor will likely guide you through a tapering regimen that involves gradually reducing your dose over time. If you experience severe withdrawal symptoms during tapering, tell your doctor so they can adjust your care plan as needed. If you’ve taken benzodiazepines at high doses for an extended period, you may experience long-term withdrawal symptoms, also called post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) or protracted withdrawal. As mentioned earlier, benzodiazepine abuse alone does not typically result in death (though withdrawal can be life-threatening).