07 Jan

Benzodiazepine Detox and Addiction Treatment

There are different prescription drugs used to treat a variety of conditions and provide medical benefits, including benzodiazepines. This medication is often prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia, and help prevent epilepsy seizures. However, there is a risk of abusing benzodiazepines and developing an addiction to the drugs. Should this occur, then benzodiazepine detox will be necessary. 

What Are Benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines or benzos, as they are called on the street, are a class of prescription medications used as anti-anxiety and anti-seizure treatment. The drugs cause a chemical change in the brain that alters the receptors and the release of various chemicals. These changes are what help alleviate anxiety and prevent seizures. 

Why Are Benzodiazepines Abused?

Benzos can be highly addictive in a similar manner as prescription opioid medications. Part of what makes abusing benzos so attractive is the increase in dopamine levels the drug brings about in the brain. Dopamine is a natural chemical that makes you feel good. 

As the level of dopamine, you can feel extremely happy and euphoric. Furthermore, the brain remembers these feelings brought about by taking benzos, so it associates taking the drugs as a positive behavior.

However, the repeated use of benzos can increase the risks of abuse as the body begins to develop a tolerance to the drugs. To achieve the similar elated levels experienced when first starting on benzos, it can become very tempting to self-medicate and increase one’s dosage. 

How Does One Develop Benzodiazepines Addiction?

The most common form of benzo addiction is developing a psychological dependence on the medication. This type of dependence is where you have a strong sense that you need benzos to function. For instance, suppose you skip a dose, you may start to experience benzo detox withdrawal symptoms. As such, you can feel like you cannot do anything until you take your benzos. 

In addition, your brain has already associated taking benzos as a positive behavior since it increases the release of dopamine. As a result, you have already been conditioned to take the drugs to make you feel better. 

Yet, as your tolerance levels grow, you can start to take higher doses of your benzos to achieve the same euphoric effects. As you can imagine, by regulating your dosages, you will run out of your medication faster. 

Unfortunately, this can cause you to seek out other types of substances to supplement your benzo abuse to avoid unwanted benzodiazepine detox withdrawal symptoms. 

Common Signs and Symptoms Of Benzodiazepines Addiction

• Experiencing panic attacks when you do not have your medication.
• Problems concentrating and focusing mentally.
• The inability to recall recent events.
• Only wanting to experience the euphoric sensations of the drug.
• Taking larger doses to maintain the desired effects.
• Only finding pleasure in taking benzos and nothing else.
• Becoming defensive and agitated when someone questions your benzo use.
• Not caring about your personal hygiene.
• Engaging in risky behaviors and making poor decisions.

As the addiction to benzos advances, other symptoms can develop, such as suicidal thoughts, depression, confusion, muscular weakness, constant dizziness, and drowsiness. 

Why Is Benzodiazepines Detox An Essential Part Of Rehab Treatment?

Benzodiazepine detox is essential when you have an addiction. If you were to quit “cold turkey,” you can experience very severe withdrawal symptoms, including:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Uncontrolled Shaking
• Body Aches and Pains
• Vision Impairment
• Irritability
• Very Intense, Real-Like Dreams
• Suicidal Thoughts
• Uncontrolled Sweating
• Hot and Cold Flashes
• Inability to Stand or Walk Due to Dizzy Spells

Furthermore, it can take several weeks or months before benzodiazepines are fully detoxified from the body. Therefore, it is crucial to take a proactive approach to detox that will gradually wean you off the medication during this time.

Additionally, medication-assisted drug therapies can be used to help address the negative withdrawal symptoms as your benzo dosage is reduced until you can safely discontinue taking them. 

Another reason benzodiazepine detox should be supervised is that you will go through physical and psychological withdrawal periods. The physical withdrawal symptoms typically begin in the first few weeks as you are weaned off the medication.

However, the psychological withdrawal symptoms may not begin until several weeks after the physical withdrawal symptoms have passed. If your withdrawal was not supervised and gradual, it is highly probable you would relapse and return to abusing benzos. 

At-Home Benzodiazepine Detox Treatment in Beverly Hills, CA

When used correctly, benzos can be very beneficial in treating various medical conditions. However, for those who abuse benzos and start taking them when they do not require them, it is easy to develop an addiction. 

Quitting benzos on your own is never recommended. Instead, it is much safer to go through benzodiazepine detox when it is supervised. Even better is undergoing benzo detox from the comfort of your home with assistance from MD Home Detox in Beverly Hills, CA.

Our concierge-level substance abuse withdrawal and detox treatment are tailored to your specific needs. We also provide access to medication-assisted treatment to help wean you safely off of benzos.

To learn more about our at-home benzodiazepine detox treatment and substance abuse recovery options, please feel free to contact us today!