If you have an addiction to benzodiazepines or “benzos,” Gateway Foundation can help. Our benzo drug addiction treatment center in Illinois is here to help patients like you recover.
Benzodiazepines are among the top-selling family of prescription drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Xanax® alone has long been one of the most popular medications in the United States.
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs that treat anxiety, seizures, insomnia, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal and many other conditions. However, they can cause addiction when taken against a doctor’s recommendation. These drugs may also interact with other commonly misused substances such as opioids.
There are two different types of benzodiazepines — hypnotics and anxiolytics. Hypnotics are shorter-acting and generally prescribed to treat sleep problems like insomnia. The effects of anxiolytics last longer, so they’re mostly used for treating anxiety-related issues.
Some of the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines include:
Because of their sedative effect, benzodiazepines are most commonly prescribed for short term relief of a variety of mental health conditions, such as:
This prescription medication interacts with the brain’s mental pathways responsible for individual reward and memory responses.
Because of the way these medications work in the brain, benzos can cause a mild to moderate sense of euphoria. This effect leads some users to misuse these drugs, either to increase their treatment’s effects or for recreational use. However, even when taken as prescribed, using benzos regularly for a few weeks or more can lead to both physical and emotional dependence as well as addiction.
Although the illicit use of benzodiazepines has grown, many people still obtain these drugs legally. In fact, nearly 66 million people are prescribed benzos at their office-based doctor visits each year. Patients can take the original dosage prescribed by their doctor and still have problems trying to come off benzos. This dependence leads some to begin using the drugs illicitly.
Others seek out benzos purely for recreational use. A benzo high feels like a sedating or calming sensation for most users. Some people employ polydrug use to amplify the effects of benzos. This occurs when users combine the substance’s use with alcohol or other drugs like opioids.
However, taking benzodiazepines with other substances can be unpredictable and dangerous, causing adverse side effects and increasing a user’s risk of overdose.
Benzodiazepines generally come in pill form. However, some people crush the tablets and snort the powder or dissolve it in water so that it can be injected. These methods produce a faster, more intense high.
Benzodiazepines were originally produced as a safer alternative to barbiturates. Developed by German chemists, barbituates entered the scene in the late 1800s and were the first synthetic tranquilizers. Their use exploded in the U.S. in the 1930s. By World War II, billions of barbituates were consumed each year by people looking to “take the edge off.” However, experts soon realized that barbiturates carried an extremely high risk of tolerance, dependence and overdose.
In an effort to find a better class of tranquilizers, the first barbituates were synthesized in 1955. As new benzos were produced throughout the 1960s and ’70s, they were marketed as safer, faster-acting and carrying less risk. Still, stories arose about how various benzos created dependence and difficult withdrawal symptoms.
In 1979, there was a Senate hearing on the dangers of benzodiazepines. Sadly, the hearings failed to produce any legislation to head off the growing crisis.
Decades of evidence have made it clear that taking benzodiazepines, even with a prescription, comes with serious risks. However, this class of drugs remains hugely popular to this day.
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Doctors usually prescribe benzodiazepines for short periods. When a patient takes their prescription benzodiazepine medicine for the recommended time, they have a minimal risk of addiction. However, taking it for an extended period or misusing it raises the danger of dependence. Using benzodiazepines may cause these side effects:
When someone has a physical dependence on benzos, they can have withdrawal symptoms such as:
Drugs such as alcohol and opioids can intensify the side effects of benzodiazepines. People who take opioids should avoid benzodiazepines because of their combined effects. Benzos can increase the risk of opioid overdose for anyone who takes opioids, including patients who take them as directed by their doctor.
Taking benzos against a doctor’s directions or misusing them can lead to an addiction. You might have an addiction to benzodiazepine if you show signs like:
You have help available if you think you have an addiction to benzodiazepines. As a treatable disease, benzo addiction can have manageable symptoms with the right support.
An Illinois benzo drug addiction rehabilitation treatment center may offer services such as:
Every patient has a different experience with their benzo drug addiction rehab center. The services you get may differ from the care that another patient receives.
Comprehensive benzo drug rehab centers in Illinois and throughout the United States address all aspects of addiction. They take the physical, emotional, social, and financial elements of benzo addiction into account to help patients recover. Successful benzo drug rehab treatment can assist you with:
As you progress through benzo addiction treatment, you will work with your treatment team to set and achieve recovery goals. You get the opportunity to build a new life or take back the one you had before drugs.
Treatment programs for benzo addiction at Gateway involve these steps:
We have many types of therapy and support services available so you can find the best approach for your needs.
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