The medical team can monitor your symptoms, provide necessary medications, and offer emotional support throughout the withdrawal process. While they can quickly relieve symptoms of anxiety and panic, these drugs pose a high risk of dependence. In other words, your body may rely on benzodiazepines to function if you take them frequently and for more than a short period of time. Withdrawal symptoms can occur after as little as one month of use, even on small, therapeutic doses. Among people taking benzodiazepines for longer than six months, about 40% experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms when they quit suddenly.
- If you think this might be the case, contact your healthcare provider right away.
- When used appropriately they are very effective in treating these disorders.
- The truth is that when it comes to a dependency on alcohol or drugs, it is not likely to get better without assistance.
- Treatment for sedative use disorder usually starts with slowly lowering the benzo dose.
- Benzo withdrawal can be painful and dangerous, and cause some people to feel hesitant about getting help for benzo addiction.
Escape the Grips of Addiction
When individuals becometolerant of benzos, it means that they need to use higher dosages in order tofeel the effects of the drugs. Basically, their bodies have become used to theeffects of the regular dose and they no longer respond the same way. In orderto get the desired results of effects, individuals have to up the dosage. In the serene suburbs of Chattanooga, TN, Iris Wellness Group is a haven for those fighting benzo addiction. Our benzo addiction treatment center offer a nurturing environment conducive to recovery. Remember, dealing with benzo withdrawal and sedative use disorder is something you should do with professional guidance and a customized plan.
Experience a Safe Recovery
Depending on which benzodiazepine you are currently taking, your doctor may want to switch you to a different one before your taper begins. Short-acting benzodiazepines complicate withdrawal with too many ups and downs. Diazepam, a long-acting benzodiazepine, is the most common choice for dose tapering.
Benzodiazepine Detox
In more severe cases, withdrawal can cause confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, and seizures. Contact your doctor as soon as you have concerns about benzo dependence. If you have been taking benzos for more than 4 weeks, contact your doctor for advice on how to safely taper your dosage. The length of time it takes to come off benzos can differ for each person. Your doctor can inform you about how gradually you should come off benzos. People who are abusing benzos can detox and begin their recovery journey with access to the right treatment resources.
Our Benzo Addiction Treatment Programs
If not medically managed, some of the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal may be severe and potentially dangerous. To successfully detox from benzodiazepines, one of the key factors is to be aware of exactly what to expect during withdrawal. However, those with a more severe addiction or dependency might experience post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS).
- Short-acting benzodiazepines, like triazolam, pass quickly through the body, so you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms sooner — sometimes within a matter of hours.
- In most cases, your doctor will reduce your dosage by 5% to 25% in the first week.
- Tinnitus occurring during dose reduction or discontinuation of benzodiazepines is alleviated by recommencement of benzodiazepines.
- Cannabis withdrawal is managed by providing supportive care in a calm environment, and symptomatic medication as required (Table 3).
- During those first few hours and leading into the first full 24 hours, increasing confusion and an overwhelming desire to obtain more of the drug are both likely.
Sudden changes in brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin can cause hallucinations and psychosis — a brain disorder marked by a disconnection from reality. 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. People tapering off the same original dosage of medication can have drastically different tapering experiences.
All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional. If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. Some supplements, severe benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome such as valerian and melatonin, might also help you get some relief from your symptoms, but research has found mixed results. Your care team can offer more guidance on safely trying these supplements. Dependence and withdrawal can happen to anyone, even if you take your medication exactly as instructed.
If you’ve used benzos for several years or used a significant dosage of them for several months, medical detox can be necessary. If you try to stop taking the drug for a day or so and begin to feel you need the drug at a level you can’t easily control, it’s also beneficial to turn to detox. In addition, doctors also can provide intense support for the pain and emotional difficulties that happened during the benzo withdrawal period.
Table of Contents
A therapist or other mental health professional can offer support with navigating these effects and helping improve your overall quality of life during the withdrawal period. You will start to feel withdrawal symptoms sooner if using ashorter acting benzo, like Xanax, and later, if using a long acting benzo, likevalium. In some cases, as your tolerance rises, you can start toexperience withdrawal symptoms on a steady dose, and you need to up your dailydosage to keep these withdrawal symptoms at bay.
Acute withdrawal
To help you avoid these peaks and valleys, doctors often switch you from Xanax to a long-acting benzodiazepine such as Valium (diazepam). The symptoms of Xanax withdrawal typically appear within 8 to 12 hours of your last dose. If you fail to taper your dose, your withdrawal symptoms will grow increasingly intense. Withdrawal is generally at its worst on the second day, and improves by the fourth or fifth day; however, acute symptoms can last significantly longer. Benzo detox for some involves symptoms that subside within days to more severe symptoms that can impact physical and mental health.
