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Classes of Drugs Needed for the Successful Management of Addictions
Published in Frank Lynn Iber, Alcohol and Drug Abuse as Encountered in Office Practice, 2020
Though themselves addicting, the benzodiazepines are a highly useful class of agents, particularly in treatment of alcohol, sedative, and opiate withdrawal, and for crisis intervention in the ongoing care of abstinent addicts. These agents differ markedly one from another in several properties listed in Table 27 and are not interchangeable.
Behavioral effects of caffeine coadministered with nicotine, benzodiazepines, and alcohol
Published in B.S. Gupta, Uma Gupta, Caffeine and Behavior, 2020
Benzodiazepines are widely used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia as well as a variety of other disorders. In most countries they are available on medical prescription. Problems of dependence and abuse have been recognized for some time, although the dependence potential of these drugs remains a matter of contention.14 In addition to their anxiolytic and hypnotic effects, benzodiazepines produce sedation, muscle relaxation, and cognitive and psychomotor impairment.
Pharmacological interventions
Published in Ilana B. Crome, Richard Williams, Roger Bloor, Xenofon Sgouros, Substance Misuse and Young People, 2019
Benzodiazepines are used clinically to assist in managing people who have anxiety and sleep disorders. They work by increasing the effects of GABA in the brain. They are used in substance misuse treatment to manage alcohol withdrawal. Increasingly, benzodiazepines are a problem drug of abuse among young people. Benzodiazepines are widely available to young people through prescription drug diversion, and sales through Internet availability. Several treatment options are relevant to benzodiazepine dependence. Gradual tapering of benzodiazepines is probably the hallmark and the most effective treatment approach for benzodiazepine misuse. The tapering schedule for young people tends to be slower than for adults and detoxification may be accomplished within two to three months rather than the 7–21 days for adults.
Pharmacological Treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Current Practice and Future Directions
Published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2023
Harry A. Fagan, David S. Baldwin
RCTs of benzodiazepines in GAD demonstrate efficacy vs. placebo, however the dropout rates are higher in the benzodiazepine groups on average [18]. Benzodiazepines with a relatively long half-life are preferred in treatment of GAD, to prevent the need for multiple daily dosing. Common adverse effects of benzodiazepine treatment include cognitive effects (sedation, drowsiness, and mental slowing) and psychomotor impairment (including when driving), both related to increased GABAergic stimulation, and the development of tolerance and dependence [49]. Tolerance to benzodiazepines can occur for the anticonvulsant and sedative effects; however, it is less clear to what extent this occurs for the anxiolytic effects [49]. Dependence on benzodiazepines can also occur with an associated withdrawal syndrome, usually characterized by anxiety-related physical and psychological symptoms alongside perceptual disturbances [50]. Treatment of benzodiazepine dependence, usually entails the conversion of benzodiazepine polypharmacy to monotherapy and the gradual tapering of the total dose, combined with psychological support [51].
Cytokine level in patients with mood disorder, alcohol use disorder and their comorbidity
Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 2023
Irina A. Mednova, Lyudmila A. Levchuk, Anastasiia S. Boiko, Olga V. Roschina, German G. Simutkin, Nikolay A. Bokhan, Anton J. M. Loonen, Svetlana A. Ivanova
Patients with MD (n = 43), participants with AUD-MD (n = 44) and AUD without MD (n = 42), were recruited from the departments of affective and addictive states of Mental Health Research Institute of the Tomsk National Research Medical Centre. Inclusion criteria were: a diagnosis of AUD (F10.2), MD (F31, F32, F33, F34.1) according to ICD-10 (World Health Organization 2004), or their comorbidity; ages 18–60 years. We excluded patients with other comorbid mental disorders, for instance schizophrenia, intellectual disability, and alcoholic psychoses, and patients with acute physical diseases. All participants had not taken any psychopharmacological drugs within 6 months prior to admission. The screening for relevant pathology for in/exclusion of subjects, disease development and the severity of the condition was performed through clinical assessment by three trained psychiatrists (O.R., G.S., and N.B.) on the first day of admission. Patients in the state of alcohol withdrawal received benzodiazepine therapy to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. The duration of alcohol withdrawal as estimated by the treating psychiatrists was on average 2–4 days after admission. The control group consisted of 50 healthy volunteers recruited through local advertisements at the MHRI and Siberian State Medical University. Healthy individuals were screened using a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire screens for both physical and mental pathology, e.g. endocrine, neurological, gynaecological and psychiatric disorders.
Biopsychosocial factors and health outcomes associated with cannabis, opioids and benzodiazepines use among older veterans
Published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2021
Hyojung Kang, Jeni Hunniecutt, Laura Quintero Silva, Brian Kaskie, Julie Bobitt
Benzodiazepines are often used to treat PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia (13). Despite evidence that suggests benzodiazepines should not be used for PTSD or for the treatment of depression and anxiety, benzodiazepines are still prescribed at greater rates for treating these conditions in Veterans (14). Older adults use benzodiazepines up to three times more often than younger adults (14). Using 2015–2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, Maust et al. (15) found that benzodiazepines use is highest in U.S. adults age 50–64 at 12.9% and 8.6% in adults over 65. Older adults also are more likely than younger adults to use benzodiazepines more often than prescribed and to help them with sleep (15). Benzodiazepines also have unwanted side effects such as confusion, memory loss, and falls (13).