Benzodiazepine Addiction Treatment Options: What You Need to Know

It can be problematic and distressing to be prescribed medication for a behavioral health or substance abuse issue only to become addicted to the very drug meant to treat the problem. 

But for versatile, long-proven drugs like Xanax or Valium, getting hooked on benzodiazepines (“benzos”) is not uncommon. During a recent 1-year study period, more than 5 million people misused benzos.  

Sadly, it’s often unintentional, as the high addiction potential inherent to benzos can see a perfectly legitimate prescription take a wrong turn into benzo abuse or worse. And without proper means of intervention or benzodiazepine addiction treatment, dependency can prove life-threatening. 

What Is Benzodiazepine Addiction? 

Benzos are effectively tranquilizer depressants, first introduced on the market in 1960. They tell your brain to produce more gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that calms overactivity in the brain and makes your nervous system less active. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, this increased GABA production is what makes benzos effective for treating various conditions. There are a few different names for the primary effects benzos give: 

• Benzos are amnestic and used to induce sedation and memory loss, usually before surgeries or medical procedures. 

• They have anxiolytic effects to treat anxiety disorders, including social anxiety and panic attacks. 

• The hypnotic effects of benzos are meant to address insomnia (with short-term use) and other sleep-related disorders. 

• Lastly, benzos are sedatives. They can treat everything from muscle spasms to catatonia, epileptic seizures, and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. 

Benzos are also used to manage withdrawal symptoms from alcohol abuse disorder and other conditions. 

These calming effects can also create a euphoric feeling not unlike that of other widely abused narcotic drugs, making benzos susceptible to misuse. Tolerance, dependency, and eventual addiction can manifest as your brain adapts to the drug, requiring more and more of the drug to match (or exceed) its original effects. 

Beyond prescription misuse, benzos are also abused recreationally, usually in pill form, mainly for their mood-elevating effects. 

List of Benzodiazepines  

There are about 15 different FDA-approved benzos available, although more than 2,000 have been produced over the years. Generally, WebMD and benzos are classified according to the length of their effects after taking the drug. Some examples include: 

• Ultra-short-acting benzos: Midazolam is used for seizures and pre-surgery anesthesia; triazolam is for insomnia. 

• Half-life: 2.5 hours 

• Short-acting benzos: Alprazolam (aka blue Xanax or yellow Xanax) for anxiety and panic disorders; lorazepam for anxiety, seizures, and insomnia; and temazepam for insomnia. 

• Half-life: Alprazolam, six to 26 hours (depending on the type of blue Xanax bars or yellow Xanax bars); lorazepam and temazepam, 10 to 20 hours 

• Long-acting benzos: Chlordiazepoxide for anxiety and alcohol withdrawal; clonazepam for seizures, panic disorder, and nerve pain; and diazepam (aka Valiu, for stress, sedation, alcohol withdrawal, muscle spasms, and seizures 

• Half-life: Chlordiazepoxide, 30 to 100 hours; clonazepam, 20 to 50 hours; diazepam, 20 to 100 hours 

Are Benzodiazepines Dangerous? 

Benzodiazepines have been proven highly effective as an evidence-based drug for many conditions, especially for the rapid reduction of symptoms related to anxiety disorder. However, even when prescribed to treat, they aren’t intended for long-term use — one reason why they remain a controlled substance. 

On their own, chronic benzo use can lead to a host of issues. “If your nervous system’s activity drops too low, it can have dangerous or even deadly effects,” notes the Cleveland Clinic.  

Symptoms of acute, adverse, long-term effects may include: 

• Cognitive impairment, including daytime drowsiness and inhibited motor skills 

• Memory issues 

• Vivid or disturbing dreams 

• Personality and behavioral changes, including aggressiveness and irritability 

• Headaches 

• Rashes 

You may also wonder if Xanax causes weight gain since weight fluctuations are occasionally reported during long-term use of this benzo. 

Benzos have also become notorious for their use as a date rape drug. Flunitrazepam, aka Rohypnol, inhibits the formation of new memories and causes sedation, effects exploited by sexual predators on their victims. 

Do I Need a Prescription for Benzodiazepines? 

Yes, the only legal way to obtain benzodiazepines is through a prescription from a doctor or therapist. They can prescribe medication only after you’ve been diagnosed with one of the conditions treated with benzos (or, in other cases, a dual diagnosis of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder). 

Suppose you believe you may be showing signs of anxiety, insomnia, panic disorder, or alcohol abuse, among others. In that case, they may perform a physical exam and a mental health evaluation, as well as a clinical discussion about your symptoms. 

Experts assert that benzos should be prescribed in minimal dosages to lower the risk of developing dependency. “Benzodiazepines should only be prescribed in the lowest effective dose for the short-term relief … of severe anxiety or panic disorder, usually in an acute crisis situation,” notes the 2019 study. Patients, it notes, should always be warned of the possibility of addiction. 

The study goes on to say that benzos as medication should never be the first solution for treating anxiety, insomnia, etc. 

“The most appropriate first-line treatments for both mild anxiety and insomnia include counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene, and self-help strategies,” it notes. 

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Addiction? 

Symptoms of benzo addiction can be intensely devastating for those who abuse it — the signs of abuse are obvious to their loved ones. Recognizing these signs is the first step to early intervention. 

Some signs of chronic misuse or addiction to benzos may include anxiety and insomnia (both of which benzos are designed to treat), appetite loss, headaches, physical weakness, and intense cravings for the drug. 

Behavioral signs, like running out of a prescription too soon (e.g., taking more of the drug beyond what’s prescribed), having a preoccupation with your next pill, feeling incomplete without benzos, or prioritizing the drug over work, home,e or school responsibilities are all early warning signs of benzo addiction.  

Some users look to doctor shops or bypass medical evaluations and attempt to buy Xanax online — which is not only illegal but also dangerous. Unregulated benzos purchased from unauthorized sellers may be counterfeit or mixed with dangerous substances. 

Benzos’ addiction abuse potential can compound when mixed with other substances. They are often used to augment heroin or opioid highs, a cocktail that can prove risky. In other cases, it’s been reported as a “comedown” drug to ease the effects of stimulants like cocaine.  

Can you smoke Xanax like marijuana? Crushing the pills and smoking them on their own or combining weed and Xanax may exacerbate anxiety, accompanied by paranoia, sedation, accelerated heartbeat, and irritability, research notes. Taken together, they may reduce the effects of each drug and make it easier to overdose on Xanax. 

According to research, mixing benzos with alcohol can also generate side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, thought/concentration issues, and poor judgment. 

Dying of aBenzoo overdose is most likely when mixing it with alcohol or other drugs. Overdose symptoms can include extreme drowsiness or sleepiness, confusion, impaired coordination and reflexes, shallow breathing, and unconsciousness or coma.