Surviving Benzodiazepines: A Patients and Clinicians Perspectives PMC

Additionally, medical supervision allows doctors to respond much more quickly to potential side effects and withdrawal symptoms. During the acute withdrawal phase, doctors may monitor the person and recommend other drugs to control problematic symptoms. These drugs are habit-forming and can easily result in physical dependence. This dependence https://ecosoberhouse.com/ may lead to a difficult withdrawal if the person chooses to stop taking the drugs. On the other hand, doctors are increasingly influenced by information from the Internet which is told to them by patients. They generally do not want to see a lot of printed off pages, as there is no time to really read them during the office visit.

Surviving Benzodiazepines: A Patient’s and Clinician’s Perspectives

Cannabis withdrawal is managed by providing supportive care in a calm environment, and symptomatic medication as required (Table 3). As cannabis withdrawal is usually mild, no withdrawal scales are required for its management. Give 20mg diazepam by mouth every 1-2 hours until symptoms are controlled and AWS score is less than 5. Monitor the patient regularly during this time for excessive sedation. In the first instance, attempt behavioural management strategies as shown in Table 2 (page 33).

A Patient’s Perspective

• In the first week of tapering off, your doctor may reduce your dose as much as 30% to get you to a safe amount.
• Lastly, researchers have identified a condition called post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), where someone experiences sexual side effects after they stop using SSRIs.
• Short-acting benzodiazepines, like triazolam, pass quickly through the body, so you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms sooner — sometimes within a matter of hours.
• Similarly, SSRIs can be used to help people who are experiencing depression and anxiety, but not everybody responds well to SSRIs.
• Provide symptomatic treatment (see Table 3) and supportive care as required.

As tapering proceeds, however, it is the patient’s expertise—her/his actual response to sequential BZD dose reductions—that assumes an ascendant role. This somewhat upends the shared decision-making model as it is usually practiced, whereby although shared, ongoing medical management choices tend to tilt toward reliance upon the provider’s expertise. Reliance upon the patient’s expertise, however, is the more dependable pathway to successful BZD cessation, as indeed Carrie discovered. As many as 5% of these patients may develop delirium tremens (DT) when they withdraw from chronic alcohol use.

The chart below lists some protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms:

This helps to relieve benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and prevent the development of seizures. Codeine phosphate alleviates opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings. Methadone alleviates opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings. Methadone is useful for detoxification from longer acting opioids such as morphine or methadone itself.

5. WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT FOR STIMULANT DEPENDENCE

Research in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology notes that an estimated 10–25% of people who use benzos for extended periods experience withdrawal symptoms that last for 12 months or longer. There are several good references for methods to come off of benzodiazepines. The best place to start for both prescribers and patients is the Ashton Manual, to date the best and most complete work on the subject.

Overall effects on everyday life

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. Experiencing rebound symptoms means the symptoms you had before benzodiazepine withdrawal taking benzodiazepines come back even stronger than before. More severe reactions or withdrawals may also be more likely when taking strong drugs either for long periods or alongside other types of medications.

The chart below lists some other possible causes of protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms:

Consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional