While benzodiazepines can effectively treat anxiety, panic attacks, and sleep disorders, they are also highly addictive drugs that can cause dangerous side effects and withdrawal symptoms when stopped suddenly.
This means that benzo withdrawal symptoms can occur if you suddenly stop taking the drug after a long period of use or experience adverse effects such as an overdose or an allergic reaction. Is benzo’s withdrawal permanent?
In some cases, yes, depending on what medication you’re using and how much time has passed since your last dose of benzos. Withdrawal symptoms may also become permanent in cases of severe addiction and abuse.
What Are Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines, commonly known as benzos, are a class of medications prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia, and panic attacks. Unfortunately, they can also be highly addictive and difficult to quit. Those who have tried to come off benzos often experience withdrawal symptoms, raising the question: is benzo withdrawal permanent?
The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. In some cases, withdrawal symptoms may be short-term and subside after a few days or weeks. However, for others, these symptoms can be long-lasting and chronic.
To understand why some people may experience long-term withdrawal symptoms, it’s essential to understand how benzos work in the brain. Benzodiazepines affect the brain’s natural chemistry and lead to changes in receptor sites that can take time to reset. This process can be prolonged if someone takes the medication for an extended period or at high doses.
The type of benzo taken and its half-life also play an essential role in determining how long withdrawal symptoms last. Generally speaking, drugs with longer half-lives (meaning they remain in the body for longer) can produce more intense and longer-lasting withdrawal symptoms.
No two people are the same, so it’s impossible to know whether someone’s withdrawal symptoms will be short-term or long-term. Talking to your doctor about your specific situation and any concerns you may have is essential.
For those with long-term or chronic withdrawal symptoms, various treatment options are available to help alleviate their symptoms and provide long-term relief. From medications such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants to lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and improved sleep hygiene, there are many ways to manage withdrawal symptoms. With the right approach and support, it is possible to find relief from benzo withdrawal and live healthier lives.
How Long Does Benzodiazepines Withdrawal Take?
The withdrawal process from benzodiazepines can vary depending on the dosage and duration of use. In some cases, withdrawal symptoms can last weeks or even months.
The severity and duration of withdrawal symptoms are highly individualized, so it is important to know what to expect before beginning the process. Common withdrawal symptoms include
- anxiety
- insomnia
- tremors
- nausea
- muscle aches
- sweating
- confusion
- depression
One may also experience seizures, psychosis, and other severe complications during withdrawal.
It is important to note that although benzodiazepine withdrawal can be uncomfortable and disruptive to everyday life, it is typically not a permanent condition. Most people find that their symptoms dissipate with time and appropriate care. However, professional medical care may be necessary to prevent further complications for those with a history of long-term use or abuse.
If you consider withdrawing from benzodiazepines, you must speak with your doctor or a healthcare professional. They can advise on your situation’s best action and offer support.
How To Handle Benzodiazepine Cravings
Cravings are often an urge to use while coming off benzodiazepines, but they may persist for weeks or months after stopping benzos. Although cravings can feel challenging, they’re a part of the natural recovery process.
Cravings can include thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. These cravings might lead someone to think things like I need this or What else am I going to do?—which isn’t true because no one needs drugs to survive life’s challenges.
It’s important not to buy into the misconception that cravings can make people want to retake benzos—in reality, people could go through them without reacting impulsively if they could believe otherwise from the beginning. It’s also incorrect to assume that these experiences will last forever; plenty of people living sober prove this notion wrong daily.
Coping with cravings means understanding what they entail. Understand that they’re only temporary and uncomfortable- not unbearable. Coping with cravings:
Know your triggers – What causes you to crave? Knowing things that trigger you can help you devise a plan to cope when those things happen. It could mean avoiding certain people, places, or events.
Accept rather than resist cravings– It’s common to think of cravings as a bad thing – when this is usually just how we feel before we understand them. Accepting instead of fighting these feelings can make things easier, recognizing that a craving is there and how powerful it feels but still knowing it won’t last forever.
Reach out to someone else – friends who might be going through something similar or even professionals who want to share their own experience of struggling with addiction at some point in their lives – if it helps you realize what you’re feeling isn’t so strange after all.
Find other hobbies – finding healthy distractions such as exercising or reading, for example, can help put off the time until the craving passes over completely.
What Are the Stages of Benzo Withdrawal
The Early Stage
Early withdrawal symptoms for benzos are typically seen a few hours or days after discontinuing use. These early stages of quitting are where patients can experience rebound effects, the sudden return of anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions for which benzos were being taken in the first place.
Acute Withdrawal
Acute benzodiazepine withdrawal usually develops within 3-5 days after the last dose and lasts between 5-28 days. Acute symptoms are the most severe withdrawal stages because it takes time for the brain to adjust without benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Valium. The brain relearns how to produce these chemicals naturally, but during this period – which may be very difficult physically and emotionally – people may experience panic attacks or hallucinations.
Protracted Withdrawal
Protracted withdrawal, also known as post-acute withdrawal symptoms or PAWS, affects people coming off benzos differently. If you took them for an extended period, abused them, or developed an addiction, there is a chance of experiencing PAWS. Your brain and body become accustomed to the drug over time which could lead to prolonged PAWS. Therefore, people may experience this anywhere from 6 months to 1 year after discontinuing the use of benzodiazepines
Time To Seek Medical Attention
Benzo’s withdrawal is not permanent in most cases. However, it is essential always to take these medications as prescribed and taper off gradually under the supervision of a doctor to reduce the risk of any long-term effects. It is also important to seek professional help if you are experiencing any withdrawal symptoms to manage them safely and effectively.
