Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome Wikipedia

Upon discontinuation, these stimulants do not manifest with a withdrawal syndrome, as, by definition, no similar drug can be administered to avoid or treat the symptoms of withdrawal. A post-toxicity syndrome does occur after use, sometimes termed “crack crash” or “cocaine washout.” Patients return to their baseline without intervention. Patients should drink 2-4 litres of water per day during withdrawal to replace fluids lost through perspiration and diarrhoea. Multivitamin supplements and particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine) supplements (at least 100mg daily during withdrawal) should also be provided to help prevent cognitive impairments9 that can develop in alcohol dependent patients. Patients may have been taking benzodiazepines https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for an anxiety or other psychological disorder; following withdrawal from benzodiazepines, the patient is likely to experience a recurrence of these psychological symptoms.

Management

Return of SWS seems to take longer after withdrawal, probably because anxiety levels are high, the brain is overactive and it is hard to relax completely. These factors don’t guarantee you’ll have severe withdrawal symptoms, but they can increase your vulnerability. So, your doctor may recommend a slower taper schedule as a safety precaution. It’s incredibly important to follow your doctor’s guidance when you stop taking benzodiazepines. If you stop taking them “cold turkey,” or all at once, you may experience severe, even life threatening, withdrawal symptoms.

Overall effects on everyday life

• In the first week of tapering off, your doctor may reduce your dose as much as 30% to get you to a safe amount.
• These sensations return towards normal as withdrawal progresses, and some people are pleased with the new, seemingly extraordinary, clarity of their perceptions.
• Many sedative users do not always know that they can develop drug tolerance and dependence from the chronic use of sedatives and other CNS depressants.
• In addition, the muscles, especially the small muscles of the eye, are not well co-ordinated, which may lead to blurred or double vision or even eyelid spasms (blepharospasm).
• The primary difference between these drugs is the length of time they stay active in the body.
• Patients who have been using large amounts of cannabis may experience psychiatric disturbances such as psychosis; if necessary, refer patients for psychiatric care.

Symptoms are similar to other withdrawal syndromes, but specific to nicotine withdrawal are weight gain and a decrease in heart rate.4849 The severity of withdrawal is also variable and dependent on the method of use. In rare cases, alcohol dependent patients may experience severe complications such as seizures, hallucinations, dangerous fluctuations in body temperature and blood pressure, extreme agitation and extreme dehydration. As above, provide 20mg diazepam every 1-2 hours until symptoms are controlled.

Treatment of Sedative Toxicity

Having an open, honest conversation alcohol rehab with an expert can help you feel more comfortable using them. © 2025 withdrawal.net is operated by Recovery Brands LLC, a subsidiary of American Addiction Centers, Inc. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Discontinuation of benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and other sedatives or hypnotics after long-term use results in withdrawal symptoms resembling those of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Sedative-hypnotic withdrawal syndrome is characterized by pronounced psychomotor and autonomic dysfunctions. Patients requiring inpatient treatment due to seizures, delirium, or other medical diagnoses follow the same treatment regimen. As with alcohol withdrawal, supportive care and evaluation and treatment of comorbid sedative withdrawal symptoms conditions are equally crucial to the treatment of the patient’s withdrawal syndrome.

• Psychiatric evaluation is strongly recommended to rule out mental health concerns such as suicidal ideation, major depression, and polysubstance abuse.
• Every 1 to 4 weeks after that, they’ll reduce your dose by another 5% to 25% of the original dose.
• Experiencing rebound symptoms means the symptoms you had before taking benzodiazepines come back even stronger than before.
• In my clinic, nerve conduction studies in patients with such symptoms revealed nothing abnormal – for example, there was no evidence of peripheral neuritis.
• Some people who use inhalants regularly develop dependence, while others do not.

Several other drugs have been tested in clinical trials of benzodiazepine withdrawal to see if they could speed the process, prevent or alleviate withdrawal symptoms, or improve the long-term success rate. Many of these trials have involved what is considered here as over-rapid withdrawal. Neither drug had any effect on the severity of withdrawal symptoms, but the rate of taper was 25% of the benzodiazepine dose each week – a rather fast withdrawal!