Prescription Drug Addiction
Overcoming a Benzodiazepine Addiction
Benzos calm the brain quickly — and that’s precisely what makes them so easy to depend on. A clinical look at what addiction to them involves, and how to step back safely.
Benzodiazepines (benzos) are very good at their job — they quickly calm and sedate you, allowing you to overcome anxiety or sleep better.
Just like opioid-based painkillers, these quick fixes were routinely prescribed, oftentimes without patients fully understanding the considerable risks for misuse and addiction.
Today, we know better, and benzos are being recommended with more caution, but they’re still being prescribed with alarming regularity. As a result, we’re dealing with the aftermath in terms of benzodiazepine use disorders.
To help, our team at Northview Wellness offers benzodiazepine addiction services that can help you safely wean yourself from benzos, allowing you to break free from the medication.
Understanding benzodiazepines and their link to addiction
When we talk about benzos, we’re referring to medications, such as:
- Xanax®Alprazolam
- Ativan®Lorazepam
- Valium®Diazepam
- Klonopin®Clonazepam
These medications are incredibly fast-acting and are mostly prescribed to help people with anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal, and sleep disorders.
The reason they’re so effective is that they create an appreciable jump in dopamine levels and your brain becomes accustomed to this over stimulation of your reward centers. In turn, your brain can suppress your own natural production of dopamine and rely on this outside source, increasingly demanding more.
To put some numbers to the problem, “nearly 20% misused the medication” of 30+ million U.S. adults reporting past-year benzodiazepine use.
Combating benzo misuse and use disorders
When your brain becomes accustomed to the benzo, you’re left with uncontrollable cravings that may lead to misusing your prescription (taking the medication more often or taking more than prescribed). This slippery slope can, all too quickly, lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop taking the benzos, which include:
- Body aches
- Sweating
- Panic and/or anxiety attacks
- Trouble concentrating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia
- Hallucinations
Through benzodiazepine addiction services, the facility offers help through either a slow wean or a rapid taper. With a slow wean, the dose gradually and safely reduces until discontinuation. With a rapid taper, alternative medications help facilitate quick cessation.
The facility provides recovery support, counseling, and medical services throughout the process.
Talk With Our Team
Considering coming off benzodiazepines?
Stopping benzos safely takes a plan and medical supervision. Our team can talk through what a wean or taper might look like for you — with no pressure.