Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Get advice from an addictions clinician on all aspects of Benzodiazepine addiction . Free, confidential and impartial advice on detox,withdrawal,rehab,admission,cost, therapy,counselling and aftercare.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Benzodiazepines have been around for many decades.
Millions of prescriptions are written for Benzodiazepines in the UK every year.
Used for less than a month they can be incredibly beneficial in reducing stress, anxiety and muscle pain.
If taken for longer than four weeks there use becomes extremely problematic.
They will be less effective and if you stop taking them you will experience significant withdrawals and associated serious health issues.
When Benzodiazepines were invented in the 1960's no one could have foreseen the problems that would follow.
Get The Help You Need Today.
Effective discharge planning starts at the point of pre admission assessment. For free and impartial advice from a clinician, in the field, who prescribes for and treats opioid addiction call us.
Contact UsBenzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
What are Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are a large group of drugs which have replaced the use of Barbituates.
They are a prescription only drug used to treat both humans and animals.
Commonly, they are prescribed for:
Anxiety
Panic disorder
Insomnia
Back and muscle pain
They are often prescribed to patients on an "as and when" basis as opposed to a structured regime such as twice or three times a day.
In the UK, as in other countries, Benzodiazepines are widely abused by people seeking the calming and pleasurable effects they have.
When you buy medication off the internet or from a dealer you have no assurance that what you are taking is legitimate. Forget what it says on the packet.
Benzodiazpeine addiction detox rehab
Why are Benzodiazepines addictive?
As with other prescription medication drugs and alcohol, Benzodiazepines work by affecting receptors in the brain: That is precisely what they were invented to do.
Benzodiazepines are known as agonists.
This means that they have a positive effect on receptors, in this case GABA receptors and stimulate production of naturally occurring chemicals.
These chemicals produce the desired effects of relaxation and calm.
Because the effects are pleasurable it is logical to see why people keep taking them.
The brain, with continued exposure to Benzodiazepines, will become used to their presence and make adjustments.
This is known as tolerance.
When you reach a state of tolerance you will need ever increasing amounts of the drug to have the same effect as the amount you first started taking.
Your doctor is unlikely to increase your prescription and will be under pressure from NHS commissoner's to reduce Benzodiazepine prescribing.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Unresolved trauma
When Benzodiazepines are prescribed for psychological issues they merely provide short term relief.
What they can not do is treat the underlying issues.
This is why people want to keep taking them.
Benzodiazepines take the psychological pain away.
Your stress is put under control.
You sleep better and your anxiety reduces.
It is only natural that you would want to keep taking them.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Benzodiazepine overdose
As with any medication or drug , if you take too much your brain simply can not cope and incorrect chemical messaging occurrs.
The problem with Benzodiazepines is that an overdose can be fatal.
Accidentally overdosing is very easy, especially when you mix it with other sedating drugs such as alcohol and opioids.
If you stop taking Benzodiazepines suddenly, or reduce too quickly your brains tolerance to the drug stops: very quickly.
You will experience cravings and withdrawals and to steady yourself you will likely take an amount of Benzodiazepines you think will be sufficient.
You will most likely overdose: By accident.
Signs and symptoms of benzodiazepine overdose include:
Blurred vision
Weakness
Disorientation
Confusion
Extreme dizziness
Tremors
Coma
Death
Anyone experiencing the symptoms of Benzodiazepine overdose needs very urgent medical attention.
Emergency medication is needed to reverse the effects of Benzodiazepines.
Free Rehab Advice
Free Rehab Advice exists to provide free and independent advice to those seeking admission to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Find Out MoreHome Detox
Speak to an experienced addictions clinician on home detox: free, impartial and confidential advice.
Find Out MoreResidential Rehab
Call for free and impartial advice on residential rehab,detox,recovery, therapy and counselling from a clinician.
Find Out MoreBenzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Impact of Benzodiazepine dependency
Many people take more benzodiazepines than they should do and while they are under the threshold for
overdose they will experience symptoms which can include:
Forgetfulness
Dizziness
Confusion
Drowsiness
Anxiety
Irritability
Double vision
Slurred speech
Poor co-ordination
Fatigue
Difficulty breathing
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Identifying the signs of Benzodiazepine addiction
As with alcohol and other drugs, not everyone who uses them will develop a problem.
The risk will always be present, however.
People who develop dependency on Benzodiazepines experience a compulsion to keep using them.
When they can not get hold of Benzodiazepines they will feel an uncontrollable urge to take some.
Because of tolerance, people who are reliant on Benzodiazepines very often feel that the amount of medication they are taking is not sufficient: Because it isn't.
There ability to make good decisions goes by the wayside and users start to neglect their home and family commitments.
Work and study are also affected.
Users will do anything to try and source supplies including buying supplies on line and going to different doctors.
Get The Help You Need Today.
Effective discharge planning starts at the point of pre admission assessment. For free and impartial advice from a clinician, in the field, who prescribes for and treats opioid addiction call us.
Contact UsBenzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
What happens if you stop taking Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are safe to take if prescribed to you by a medical professional for short term use: Between two to four weeks.
After four weeks, if you stop taking them (or reduce your intake very quickly) you are very likely to experience withdrawals.
This is because your brain has become used to the presence of the drug on receptors and has adapted, accordingly.
When you stop using (or recue too quickly) the brain simply can not cope with the immediate effects and fires off incorrect chemical messaging.
This is what causes symptoms known as withdrawals.
Sadly, with Benzodiazepine withdrawal the resulting symptoms can be fatal.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Signs of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
As to when you start experiencing withdrawals from Benzodiazepines depends on several factors, most noticeably what type of Benzodiazepine you have been taking.
There are several different types.
Some are short acting while others take much longer to leave your system.
Symptoms can start to appear in as little as eight hours for short acting ones and up to two days for longer acting ones.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Symptoms of Benzodiazepine withdrawal
Some of the symptoms include:
Anxiety
Irritability
Insomnia
Hand tremors
Muscle spasms
Restlessness
Sweating
Headaches
Fast pulse
Nausea
Vomiting
Hyperventilation
Aches and pains
Panic
Abnormal bodily sensations (skin crawling)
Sensitivity to light
Low mood
Poor concentration
Blurred vision
Hallucinations
Delirium
Seizures
Coma
Death
Left untreated, withdrawals from short acting Benzodiazepines peak on day two and subside on day five.
However, for some the symptoms may last for weeks.
Sadly, most people experience a very protracted period of withdrawal which can last up to a year.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Preventing Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Reducing your use of Benzodiazepines, over a period of time, is the universally accepted safest way to prevent withdrawal.
This is a process known as tapering.
Using recognised reduction plans you can work with your GP to slowly reduce your prescription until you are free of Benzodiazepines.
Based on the work of the late Professor Heather Ashton, who was the worlds leading expert on Benzodiazepine addiction, it is usually beneficial for your doctor to change your Benzodiazepine to a longer acting one, if applicable.
This is because it is much easier to reduce on a longer acting drug.
Valium (Diazepam) is the most commonly used long acting Benzodiazepine for tapering down.
Free Rehab Advice
Free Rehab Advice exists to provide free and independent advice to those seeking admission to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Find Out MoreHome Detox
Speak to an experienced addictions clinician on home detox: free, impartial and confidential advice.
Find Out MoreResidential Rehab
Call for free and impartial advice on residential rehab,detox,recovery, therapy and counselling from a clinician.
Find Out MoreBenzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
Coming off Benzodiazepines
Most people who taper down with the help of their GP or specialist find the early stages of the process quite straightforward.
It is when the dose becomes a lot smaller than the original dose that difficulties can arise.
This is when the tapering is slowed down.
When someone is on the last part of the tapering process residential rehab becomes essential.
As with all drug and alcohol treatment, people experience cravings.
With Benzodiazepines these are incredibly powerful.
It can take your brain up to twelve months to recover after you stop using Benzodiazepines so it is logical that cravings can go on for a long time.
The difficulty with cravings is that you will try and take an amount you feel you need to settle yourself.
This is likely to lead to an accidental overdose.
When you stop taking Benzodiazepines your brains tolerance to them reduces: Very quickly.
If you try and deal with cravings by taking the drug your brain will not be able to cope and you may, by accident, overdose.
This can easily prove fatal.
Benzodiazepine addiction detox rehab
What about home treatment for Benzodiazepine adiction?
At the early stages of a reduction plan, nearly all clients do this at home.
Towards the latter end of a reduction plan residential treatment is the safest option.
Many people experience cravings at this time and careful medical and psychological input is essential.
Taking medication, while experiencing cravings can lead to an accidental overdose.
Call and speak with an experienced addictions clinicial for free, independent and confidential advice.
Therapy
All centers who provide treatment for benzodiazepine addiction provide a fully immersive therapy programme, either along a 12 step approach or a SMART based recovery model. These run seven days a week and , those in treatment, are obliged to attend all sessions if physically well enough to do so. For new admissions, it can be 24-48 hours , on occasion, before someone is able to take part.
Sitting alongside this programme, many centers also offer adjunctive treatments and therapies such as:
Yoga
Mindfulness
Art therapy
Gentle exercise and group walks
Music therapy
Individual sessions (for those staying more than a week)
Clients, before leaving, are linked in with support groups in their local community, be they voluntary or statutory. A psychological tool kit is built up so that clients have a selection of techniques to employ.
If you need treatment for alcohol addiction, heroin addiction advice call and speak to us. We can provide heroin addiction help on 0333 041 9922.
We only signpost to legally registered services.