What Is Benzo Withdrawal?
Benzo withdrawal is a severe and often life-threatening condition. Benzos are sedatives that doctors can prescribe to treat anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions. Benzos work by binding to receptors in the brain that help control anxiety and stress levels. Benzos can effectively reduce anxiety symptoms when you take them as the doctors prescribed. However, they also have side effects, like drowsiness and confusion, that may make it difficult for users to function normally when not taking them. Unfortunately, this leads many people to become dependent on benzos and fall into addiction.
In most cases, benzos are safe when you use them as directed. However, they can be addictive and difficult to stop taking without medical supervision. If you or someone you know has been abusing benzos and has developed a dependence on them, withdrawal may be necessary to avoid further harm to your health or even death.
Symptoms of Benzo Withdrawal
Benzodiazepines affect the brain and nervous system to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. You can take them orally or inject them into a muscle or vein.
Benzos are highly addictive and have serious side effects, including memory loss, confusion, and drowsiness. Some common benzos are Xanax (alprazolam), Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), and Librium (chlordiazepoxide).
The most common symptoms of benzo withdrawal are:
• Nightmares and hallucinations
• Severe anxiety
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Depression and dysphoria
Causes of Benzo Withdrawal System
There are a few different causes of benzo withdrawal symptoms. The first is that when you stop taking benzodiazepines, your brain will start producing more of the neurotransmitters that they inhibit. So, you will have an excess of these neurotransmitters flooding your brain and body, which can cause many unpleasant side effects.
Benzodiazepines also slow down the activity of your brain’s neurons, so when you stop taking them, your neurons start returning to their normal activity levels. This can lead to symptoms such as anxiety and muscle tension.
Finally, some people may experience physical cravings during withdrawal, contributing to benzo’s withdrawal symptoms like nausea and headaches.
When Does Benzo Withdrawal Start?
Benzo withdrawal symptoms usually begin around two weeks after you stop taking the medication. The severity of these symptoms depends on how long you took the drug and how much you took.
It can be difficult to predict how long your symptoms will last and what they will look like, but here are some general guidelines for the withdrawal symptoms timeline. Several factors can influence the timeline for benzo’s withdrawal symptoms.
The age of the person withdrawing from benzos impacts the withdrawal timeline. Younger people experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than older people because their brains are still developing.
Another factor is how long users took their benzo medication and at what dose level they were taking it. The longer users were on it, the higher the dose they took and the worse their withdrawal symptoms would be.
Whether or not they were taking other medications that may interact with benzos (such as antidepressants) or other medications that counteract benzos’ effects (such as clonidine) alters the timeline. The timeline might be shorter if someone was taking medications that counteract benzos.
The Phases of Benzo Withdrawal
We can break down the benzo withdrawal timeline into early withdrawal, middle withdrawal, and late withdrawal stages. Knowing what to expect at each stage is important because the symptoms you experience will vary depending on your stage. It’s also important to understand how long each stage lasts so you can plan accordingly.
1. The Early Withdrawal
The early withdrawal phase of benzo withdrawal can be tricky for those going through it. Benzos are highly addictive and can cause severe physical dependence, so quitting cold turkey can be dangerous.
For this reason, it’s important to have a support system in place before beginning your benzo withdrawal. It’s also important to have a plan to ease the symptoms as they arise.
Euphoria marks the first stage. This feeling of intense pleasure makes everything seem better than it is. This stage typically lasts two to four weeks after taking your last benzo dose. During this time, you may feel like everything is going well in your life and that nothing could go wrong until reality sets in again later on during the other stages.
The most common early symptoms include muscle aches, pains like soreness or stiffness in your back, neck, or shoulders, and nausea. You may also experience headaches or dizziness during this period.
2. Acute Withdrawal Phase
The acute withdrawal phase is the second stage of benzo withdrawal. It lasts between five and 28 days, and almost all withdrawal symptoms appear.
The main difference between the early and acute phases of benzo withdrawal is that the acute phase consists of more intense symptoms. While there are no medications recommended for this, there are some steps you can take to ease the symptoms of acute withdrawal:
• Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables to improve your nutrition.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout the day – drinking more water may help with nausea or vomiting symptoms.
• Exercising regularly (when your body allows it) helps with muscle aches and pains and improves overall physical health.
3. The Protracted Phase
The protracted withdrawal phase lasts for 12 months or longer. Symptoms are less severe than in the acute stage, but they can still be debilitating and cause problems with day-to-day functioning.
Is There a Way to Shorten the Benzo Withdrawal Symptoms?
The symptoms are severe, and many people want to have them finished as quickly as possible. Shortening the benzo withdrawal timeline can be a challenge. However, you can do things to make the process easier and more manageable.
First, ensure you have a good doctor and a good team that knows what they’re doing. Doctors who are not experienced with benzo withdrawal may not know how to help you through it.
Second, try to stay busy during the day so your mind doesn’t have time to dwell on the fact that you’re going through withdrawal symptoms. Finally, you need to get rest at night. You’ll need plenty of sleep if you want your body and mind to heal properly.
Benzo Addiction Treatment Options
Benzo addiction treatment options are available for those who are withdrawing. The best option for you will depend on your type of addiction and the severity of your withdrawal symptoms.
If you have a mild dependence on benzos, you may be able to stop using them without medical intervention. However, suppose your dependence is more severe. In that case, you may need to consider residential treatment programs to help you through the detox process and ensure that you remain sober after leaving rehab.
Professionals often recommend that clients undergo medically assisted detoxification before rehab to ensure they do not experience any adverse side effects during withdrawal. In addition, clients who suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms may benefit from additional medications, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiolytics, which can reduce or eliminate many of these symptoms.
Benefits of a Benzo Addiction Treatment
There are many benefits to a benzo addiction treatment and detox program. The first is that it will help you get off the drug and achieve sobriety, which is the most important thing when recovering from an addiction. Other benefits include:
• Gaining control over your life again
• You can feel more confident in yourself and your abilities
• You can sleep without drugs
Coping Strategies of Benzo Withdrawal
If you’re experiencing benzo withdrawal, here are some coping strategies you can use:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people learn how to change their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to reduce stress and improve their quality of life. It’s used for many mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders like panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
2. Exercise
Exercise helps with various mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. This is because it releases endorphins that make you feel good. Exercise also releases dopamine, which helps regulate moods by improving mood stability.
3. Medical Detox
Medical detox is essential to coping with Benzo withdrawal because it allows you to be under the care of a trained professional who can ensure your safety and comfort during the process. This means you won’t have to worry about finding the right amount of food or water or taking too much medication and making yourself sick. You’ll also be able to avoid certain side effects, like nausea and vomiting, which are common with Benzo withdrawal.
Medical detox will also provide you with counseling services so that you can work through any psychological issues related to addiction. For example, if you’re struggling with an eating disorder, this could be a great opportunity for you to receive treatment for it while also getting clean from drugs like Xanax or Valium.
Benzos are dangerous when you abuse them, so it’s important that anyone who is looking into quitting them seek professional assistance as soon as possible. Medical detox is one of the best options available because it ensures safety while providing access to counseling services.
Benzos are not designed for long-term use. You should not take them for more than four to six weeks. After this point, the body has built a tolerance and needs to adjust. Therefore, it is best to seek benzo withdrawal treatment at this point to avoid the worst-case scenario.
However, there are plenty of treatment options if you have a problem with benzo’s addiction and want the help you need. We are a specialty treatment center that caters to clients with a substance use disorder, and we specialize in outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. We work with clients to help them ultimately achieve their goal of becoming clean and sober and staying that way.