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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.
Benzodiazepine use disorder (BUD), also called misuse or abuse, [1] is the use of benzodiazepines without a prescription and/or for recreational purposes, which poses risks of dependence, withdrawal and other long-term effects. [2] [3] Benzodiazepines are one of the more common prescription drugs used recreationally.
Long-term use of benzodiazepines can induce perceptual disturbances and depersonalization in some people, even in those taking a stable daily dosage, and it can also become a protracted withdrawal feature of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. [54] In addition, chronic use of benzodiazepines is a risk factor for blepharospasm. [55]
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.
The following 16 pages use this file: Australian National Task Force on Cannabis; Buprenorphine; Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States; Substance abuse; Substance abuse prevention; Talk:Drug/Archive 1; Talk:Drug harmfulness/Archive 1; Talk:Illegal drug trade/Archive 1; Talk:LSD/Archive 5; Talk:Methylphenidate/Archive 3
Tolerance and dependence are risks of chronic benzodiazepine use, and can result in doses within the therapeutic range ceasing to offer meaningful symptomatic relief after prolonged use. Tolerance develops at different rates and to different degrees to the sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and anxiolytic effects of benzodiazpines.
There is some evidence that a prior history of CNS depressant dependence (e.g. alcohol) increases the risk of dependence on benzodiazepines. Tolerance to drugs is commonly believed to be due to receptor down-regulation ; however, there is very limited evidence to support this, and this hypothesis comes from animal studies using very high doses.
First of all, the whole notion of "physical dependence" on a drug is a mess and full of contradictory notions, and alludes any single definition. Although many drugs do not generate a classic withdrawal syndrome along the lines of alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines (characterized by autonomic hyperactivity, and delirium), many drugs ...