Side effects of diazepam

Benzodiazepines can also be obtained from people who are not drug dealers – friends, a friend of a friend, coworkers, or family members may share or sell their pills. For instance, when drug sellers do not have benzodiazepines available, they may offer other dangerous drugs to the person, which can lead to polydrug abuse. Also, whenever a substance is purchased on the street, users never truly know what they are buying, as substances are not tested or verified.

• Sudden discontinuation can also lead to rebound insomnia, making sleep difficult, and leading to continued use and higher doses of benzodiazepines.
• These drugs are crucial for the cessation of seizure activity, as they account for 1% to 2% of United States emergency department visits annually.
• You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.

The benefits and risks of benzodiazepines

It is very difficult to recover from benzodiazepine addiction because these drugs change the chemistry of the brain. Contact a drug addiction treatment center if you or a loved one are suffering from a addiction. Quitting cold turkey is not likely to be successful and can be dangerous because of symptoms of withdrawal. Doctors and other health care professionals that treat addiction will formulate a taper schedule to slowly wean off the medication to reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms during treatment. People who have a history of drug or alcohol abuse are more likely to develop an addiction to these drugs.

Related treatment guides

The subjects in this study had mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia and showed no change in AD-Cog scores after treatment with BZD [74]. Interestingly, in this same study, SSRIs and atypical antipsychotics showed the same results; however, trazodone actually improved the NPI [75]. Many medications have been tested to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and make it easier for patients to discontinue BZD since a gradual taper does not always lead to successful discontinuation of the drug.

Drug interactions with benzodiazepines

Your family or caregivers should also watch for sudden changes in your behavior. Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements. It is very important that your doctor check your or your child’s progress at regular visits to see if this medicine is working and allow for changes in the dose. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered.

• Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.
• There may be other circumstances where you shouldn’t take benzodiazepines with certain foods or beverages.
• Approximately two weeks after birth, the infant experiences withdrawal consisting of continued difficulty feeding, high pitched cries, hyperexcitability, and consequently possible failure to thrive.
• In an emergency, a veterinarian will usually administer the medication through a vein.
• While a therapeutic dose has not been proven teratogenic, use during pregnancy has been linked to low birth weight, preterm labor, and intrauterine growth restriction.
• Some studies in the past have shown that there is a correlation between chronic BZD use and a decline in cognitive function, including the development of dementia and dementia-like diseases.

Talk with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns about safely taking benzodiazepines. To avoid withdrawal symptoms, your doctor will slowly lower the dosage of the benzodiazepine. Older adults are at a higher risk of benzodiazepine side effects such as memory problems and falls. People ages 65 years and older should avoid these medications, according to criteria developed by the American Geriatric Society. The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists recommends that people ages 55 years and older avoid benzodiazepines. Speak with your healthcare provider about first trying safer, evidence-based alternatives such as cognitive behavioral therapy and other medications like antidepressants.

Benzodiazepine Drug Interactions

If you use these drugs over a long period of time you can develop a tolerance for them. This means that you will need higher doses of the drug to treat your health condition or disease because you’ve become tolerant of the weaker formulations of the drug. These drugs may be very effective for the treatment of several conditions, for example, anxiety and insomnia; but be careful because you can become addicted to them.

What are all the types of benzodiazepines?

Anyone who has concerns about their prescription for a benzodiazepine can ask their doctor about alternative options. Never administer it to your dog without first talking benzodiazepine withdrawal to your veterinarian. At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day.

Benzodiazepine Uses

The severity of the withdrawal symptoms depends on amount and duration of benzodiazepine use. Like all medicines, diazepam can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones. Alcohol and opioid pain relievers, both of which also act as central nervous system depressants, can greatly magnify the effect of benzodiazepines. Together, these drugs may slow your respiration and heart function to a point where they may stop altogether. Benzodiazepines should be taken on a short-term basis under a doctor’s supervision. Be sure to tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking.

There is normally no need to aid breathing in conscious sedation; however, a deeper level of sedation may rarely occur, therefore respiratory and resuscitative equipment should always be available to healthcare providers. Flumazenil is a benzodiazepine antagonist antidote that can be given intravenously in the emergency setting to reverse the effects of a benzodiazepine overdose. A person should always tell their doctor about any other drugs https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that they are using and seek medical help at once if any unexpected reactions occur. It is essential not to use benzodiazepines with opioids or alcohol, as this can lead to life threatening effects. Before starting treatment with benzodiazepines, a person must tell their doctor about every other medication that they are using. A person who uses them for 3–4 weeks and then stops suddenly is likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.