During the early stages of withdrawal, the person may notice the symptoms of the condition that the drug was treating start to return, or rebound. For example, symptoms of anxiety or insomnia may come back or get worse without the drugs. These drugs are habit-forming and can easily result in physical dependence. This dependence may lead to a difficult withdrawal if the person chooses to stop taking the drugs.
If this does not adequately calm the patient, it may be necessary to sedate him or her using diazepam. Provide 10-20ng of diazepam every 30 minutes until the patient is adequately sedated. The patient should be observed during sedation and no more diazepam given if signs of respiratory depression are observed. Because the mainstay of treatment for stimulant withdrawal is symptomatic medication and supportive care, no withdrawal scale has been included. People who use large amounts of stimulants, particularly methamphetamine, can develop psychotic symptoms such as paranoia, disordered thoughts and hallucinations. These symptoms can be managed using anti-psychotic medications and will usually resolve within a week of ceasing stimulant use.
Generalized anxiety disorder
This method is often used in conjunction with a scale for detoxification. The physician should screen the patient for the presence of other sedating drugs to avoid untoward drug interactions, particularly oversedation. Symptoms are most intense during this time and you are at the greatest risk for serious side effects such as seizures during acute benzodiazepine withdrawal.
There have also been reports of withdrawal that spontaneously improves or vanishes overnight after the person had been suffering intensely for years before. In time, the majority of people recover completely—often experiencing good mental and physical health for the first time in a long time. Some, however, continue to have changes in their cognitive abilities following long-term benzodiazepine prescription. There is some research that indicates that some people who took benzodiazepines long-term prior to discontinuation may have persistent or permanent problems with concentration, learning, memory, and/or a reduced tolerance to stress.
Benzodiazepine
The goal of CBT is to help people identify the thoughts and beliefs that contribute to negative emotions like anger, sadness, and worry, and to understand how these emotions contribute to negative behaviors such as drug use. CBT also helps people develop benzodiazepine withdrawal a plan for coping with negative thoughts and feelings without turning to substances for relief. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products.
- Like opioids, the withdrawal symptoms are mild and not life-threatening.
- Psychotherapy can help you understand the root cause of your substance abuse problems.
- People who are not dependent on drugs will not experience withdrawal and hence do not need WM.
- 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.
Benzodiazepines are all designed as central nervous system depressants; however, they each may work slightly differently at targeting certain symptoms. Different metabolites of these medications make them slightly different, which may also affect how quickly they leave the bloodstream. It’s incredibly important to follow your doctor’s guidance when you stop taking benzodiazepines.