How Can I Reverse Benzodiazepines?
If you or a loved one have an addiction to benzodiazepine and you overdose from it, is it possible to reverse the effects with another drug?
Benzodiazepines are a very powerful, useful, but also dangerous, medication. They belong to a class of psychoactive drugs that are prescribed to treat things like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, seizures, and even alcohol withdrawals.
It works to treat the symptoms of these disorders by making the brain less sensitive to stimulation through the GABA acid naturally made in the body. The result is feelings of reduced anxiety, sedation, and a calming effect.
Benzodiazepines Addiction and Overdose
All benzodiazepines have a very high potential for abuse and addiction because of their intoxicating effects on the user. This makes them very sought after. As you continue to take them, tolerance will build you,p causing you to take more and more to achieve the same effect you once felt initially. As a result, dependence and addiction can occur very quickly.
More About Benzo Abuse and Potential Overdose
As you continue to increase the amount you take to get high, you also increase the likelihood of experiencing what is called an overdose. This happens when you take too much of a substance at one time. Your body does not know what to do with it. The symptoms of a benzo overdose are very dangerous and even life-threatening. You can experience confusion, dizziness, slurred speech like you are drunk, amnesia, physical weakness and lack of coordination, blurred vision, depressed breathing, unresponsiveness, hallucinations, low blood pressure, coma, and even death.
Can Reversing Benzodiazepines is Possible?
Flumazenil is what is known as an imidazobenzodiazepine. It antagonizes the effects of benzodiazepines essentially reversing the effects. Flumazenil has the application for managing a benzo overdose. It has even been successfully used to reverse a benzodiazepine-induced coma. The only downside is that it is not fully recommended in cases of mixed drug overdoses due to the drug interactions. Flumazenil in generally administered through and IV and can reverse benzo sedation in less than 2 minutes. It is also known to cause withdrawal in people who are dependent or addicted to benzos in the same way Narcan causes immediate withdrawals with opioid addiction.
Withdrawal Symptoms After Benzo Abuse
Withdrawal symptoms can be very painful and last quite a while in relation to benzos. Some common symptoms of withdrawal include anxiety, irritability, restlessness, tremors, muscle spasms, sweating, nausea and vomiting, aches and pains, depression, memory problems, hallucinations, delirium, and even seizures are very common.
The Best Way To Quit Using Benzo is by Going To a Medically Assisted Detox
All too often, people addicted to benzos will continue to use even when they don’t want to in order to avoid the disturbing withdrawal symptoms. Generally, this lasts for approximately 2 weeks, depending on the severity. Here you will receive around-the-clock medical monitoring and psychological support so you can be as safe and comfortable as possible.
Start Professional Healing at Evoke Waltham
The next step for most people addicted to benzos is an inpatient, long term treatment plan. Your next steps in your journey of sobriety will depend a lot on your reasons for taking them in the first place as well as your reasons for wanting to quit. Addiction treatment will require a more specialized and in-depth approach to understand why you were using it to begin with. This will involve intensive group and one on one therapy. It will also teach you how to avoid relapse in the future.
If benzodiazepines have taken over your life and you want to get it back, we can help you find the resources you need. Benzos don’t need to continue to ruin everything for you. Instead, our goal is to help you live a happy and sober life long-term.
