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Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome (BZD withdrawal) is the cluster of signs and symptoms that may emerge when a person who has been taking benzodiazepines as prescribed develops a physical dependence on them and then reduces the dose or stops taking them without a safe taper schedule. Typically, benzodiazepine withdrawal is characterized by ...
Generally, tapering is done to avoid or minimize withdrawal symptoms that arise from neurobiological adaptation to the drug. [1] [2] Prescribed psychotropic drugs that may require tapering due to this physical dependence include opioids, [3] [4] [5] selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, [6] antipsychotics, [7] anticonvulsants, [8] and ...
Benzodiazepines can be addictive and induce dependence even at low doses, with 23% becoming addicted within 3 months of use. Benzodiazepine addiction is considered a public health problem. Approximately 68.5% of prescriptions of benzodiazepines originate from local health centers, with psychiatry and general hospitals accounting for 10% each.
The success of gradual-tapering benzodiazepines is as great in the elderly as in younger people. Benzodiazepines should be prescribed to the elderly only with caution and only for a short period at low doses. [100] [101] Short to intermediate-acting benzodiazepines are preferred in the elderly such as oxazepam and temazepam.
Benzodiazepines, when introduced in 1961, were widely believed to be safe drugs but as the decades went by increased awareness of adverse effects connected to their long-term use became known. Recommendations for more restrictive medical guidelines followed.
With alprazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine, taken for eight weeks, 65% of patients experienced significant rebound anxiety. To some degree, these older benzodiazepines are self-tapering. [79] The benzodiazepines diazepam and oxazepam have been found to produce fewer withdrawal reactions than alprazolam, temazepam, or lorazepam.
Drug withdrawal, drug withdrawal syndrome, or substance withdrawal syndrome [1] is the group of symptoms that occur upon the abrupt discontinuation or decrease in the intake of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs.
Three basic approaches to the taper are using the same medication for tapering, adding adjunctive medication for alleviating withdrawal symptoms, and switching to a longer-acting equivalent. [14] One of the recommended benzodiazepine taper is to reduce the dose by 50% in the first 4 weeks, maintain the dose for 1–2 months, and then reduce the ...