Benzo Misuse and Addiction in Maine

People have the opportunity to misuse benzodiazepines because physicians prescribe these drugs in large numbers. In just 2021, people filled 34.6 million prescriptions for Xanax, 24.7 million for Klonopin and 21.3 million for Ativan. They also filled 9.1 million prescriptions for Valium and 4.7 million for Restoril. In the process, many people became dependent on prescription benzodiazepines, and they needed more than their current prescriptions allowed them to have. These people have been misusing benzodiazepines by taking larger doses than they were prescribed.  

Many people have also purchased benzodiazepines illegally after their prescriptions ran out. In this case, they are no longer using these drugs for the purposes for which their doctors prescribed them. Instead, they use them to get high. Because these drugs lose their potency the more people use them, they need to take larger doses to feel the same effects; this type of dependence or addiction continues to grow over time.  

The Importance of Benzodiazepine Detox 

If you are seeking help for you or a loved one, the best thing is to enroll in a benzodiazepine detox program. This is highly important because it is hazardous for anyone to endure the benzodiazepine detoxification process outside of a licensed and trained medical facility. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines may take up to six months in some cases, so the medical community does not recommend that people try to detoxify at home.  

Understanding Benzodiazepine Detox 

At Liberty Bay Recovery Center, we offer benzodiazepine detox to our clients a 24-hour basis. As a client, you receive nutritious meals, adequate hydration, and medications that ease any uncomfortable benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms that appear during the detoxification process.  

Medical Detox 

Our detox center staff is prepared to attend to you any time that an emergency comes up. In addition to that, you will be in a secure environment where you will be unable to seek benzodiazepines during this time. You can be assured that they will complete the benzodiazepine detoxification process without any interruptions. This may not be the case if you one were to detox at home.  

The Alternative to Medical Detox 

An alternative to entering a benzodiazepine detoxification program is tapering. With tapering, a medical professional administers benzodiazepines in decreasing levels. For example, in the first week, you may receive a 5% to 25% lower dose than your regular dose. In one to four weeks, the physician reduces the dose by another 5% to 25%. This goes on until the week that you don’t receive a dose of benzodiazepines.  

This option reduces the withdrawal symptoms, so it may be an easier way to undergo the detoxification process. You may not feel comfortable tapering off of benzodiazepines, or you would rather not continue to take this drug. In that case, you may decide to enter the detox program at Liberty Bay Recovery Center instead.  

The Importance of Benzodiazepine Detox 

With benzodiazepine withdrawal, there is a risk of dangerous seizures that can lead to death if you aren’t in a treatment center with medical personnel. Benzodiazepines are sedatives, so they sedate the cells when they enter the brain. At this time, the brain becomes clogged with neurons, so it must compensate by sending additional amounts of neurotransmitters.  

After you stop ingesting benzodiazepines, the brain is less cluttered, but it is still sending additional numbers of neurotransmitters. This is what causes you to experience anxiety and sweating. Because the brain does not have time to become accustomed to the absence of benzodiazepines, seizures begin to develop, and these reactions can be life-threatening.  

The above complications are the reasons that you do not want to undergo the benzodiazepine detoxification process without medical supervision. If you experience a seizure or some other dangerous side effect, you need to have medical professionals treat these issues.  

Benzodiazepine Detox Prevents the Risks Associated with Withdrawal 

The medical detox program offers you a comfortable place for your body to remove the remnants of benzodiazepines from your system, and you have medical supervision while this is happening. If you need medication to relieve symptoms, you will receive it, and you may also receive counseling before you begin treatment in a residential or outpatient program.  

Benzodiazepine Detoxification Methods 

In benzodiazepine detox, our medical staff can administer medications that relieve any unbearable symptoms you experience. This will keep you in the most comfortable state possible until the withdrawal process is over. One benefit of this is the fact that you will not want to leave our detox center to go in search of benzodiazepines that relieve withdrawal symptoms. Then, you have the chance to complete the detoxification process and become free of benzodiazepines.  

Benefits of Benzodiazepine Detox 

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be a long process, and it has three phases.  

1. Short-Term Withdrawal Symptoms 

Short-term symptoms appear shortly after you stop taking benzodiazepines. This may cause the following withdrawal symptoms: 

• Confusion
• Tremors
• Restlessness
• Nausea
• Vision changes
• Tachycardia or rapid heart rate
• Sweating

You may experience these symptoms for two to four weeks.  

2. Rebound Symptoms 

Rebound symptoms are the symptoms you were experiencing before you began taking benzodiazepines. However, these symptoms will be much stronger than the ones you had before you introduced benzodiazepines into your system. When people have rebound symptoms, the most common ones are insomnia and anxiety.  

You may experience rebound symptoms for three weeks after you take your last dose of benzodiazepines.  

3. Long-Term Withdrawal Symptoms 

Not everyone will experience long-term withdrawal symptoms. You may if you have been taking benzodiazepines for a longer time at higher levels. These long-term symptoms are known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome or PAWS.  

Common symptoms during the PAWS timeline include the following: 

• Difficulty walking or driving
• Joint pain or headache
• Tingling skin or trembling limbs
• Nausea and diarrhea
• Muscle weakness
• Sensory sensitivity
• Sleep disturbances
• Difficulty focusing
• Nervousness and anxiety
• Low levels of energy 

These symptoms may last as long as six to 12 months, but sometimes, they last for several years.  

These symptoms may be bothersome and uncomfortable, but others may be particularly unbearable. Whichever is the case, you or your loved one will not have to experience them after you enter benzodiazepine detox at Liberty Bay Recovery Center. In addition to that, you will have the greatest chance of overcoming your substance use disorder after you complete the benzodiazepine detoxification process.  

Choosing a Benzodiazepine Detox Program 

It would be best if you chose a treatment facility that offers you individualized treatment programs. When you call a facility, explain your specific circumstances, and ask how the treatment center will address them. You will want to ensure that a treatment center can meet your needs and that they have experience treating people of your age and in your current circumstances.  

You must also ask the representative if the treatment center has a license to treat substance use disorders. The center also needs to be accredited by an outside organization. This ensures that the staff receives the training and education required to treat those with substance use disorders.  

Does the Treatment Center Offer Evidence-Based Therapies? 

The answer to this question will tell you whether or not the treatment center uses therapies that are backed by science for the treatment of substance use disorders. Some examples are cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing.  

What to Expect During Benzodiazepine Detox 

After you stop ingesting benzodiazepines, you will still have this drug in your system. You must enter a benzodiazepine detox so that your body can remove what remains of this drug. The detox center has all of the comforts that you have in your home, but it also has what you do not have at home. The detox center has medical personnel at the facility to ensure that you come through the detoxification process without being placed in danger. 

As you may not have been eating healthy, well-balanced meals, you will return to eating a nutritious diet at the detox center. You will also receive more appropriate beverages that will keep you adequately hydrated. You will have the opportunity to obtain the medical care that you may have been neglecting while you were using, and you can also receive counseling. At the end of the program, our staff will help you choose the appropriate rehabilitation program so that you can move further into the recovery process.  

Common Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms 

Physicians are required to prescribe benzodiazepines for short periods. However, you can begin to experience withdrawal symptoms within three to six weeks even if you take your medication as your doctor prescribed. The symptoms may be mild if they occur after taking the medication for a short period, but they may also be severe. If you used benzodiazepines for at least six months, you are likely to experience moderate to severe symptoms. The most common withdrawal symptoms include: 

• Delusions or hallucinations
• Depression
• Detachment from reality
• Grand mal seizures
• Hypersensitivity
• Trouble concentrating
• Anxiety attacks
• Anorexia
• Hyperventilation
• Muscle spasms
• Abnormal sensations
• Mild to severe pain
• Severe cravings

Your physician will prescribe medications for these symptoms if they are particularly severe.  

Aftercare and Continued Support 

An aftercare program occurs after you finish the benzodiazepine detoxification process and the inpatient or outpatient rehab treatment that you choose. It is a way for the staff at Liberty Bay Recovery Center to ensure that you remain drug-free forever. You must learn to live on your own without the 24-hour support that you receive at the rehab center. We begin to discuss your options right before your treatment ends so that you know where to find the resources that exist in the rehab center on the outside. 

The resources that you will need on the outside include 12-step programs, aftercare programs that fit your needs, and the options you have for finding the continuing support you will need throughout the years.  

You must remember that undergoing the benzodiazepine detoxification process on your own is not recommended by the medical community. Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms can be unbearable for you and may even lead to serious medical consequences, such as seizures. The best place for you or a loved one to be in this situation is in a benzodiazepine detox program. You or your loved one need professional help to overcome your substance use disorder, so please take advantage of it.  

Contact us at Liberty Bay Recovery Center to enter into a benzodiazepine detox program today.