Pharmacological interventions
Ilana B. Crome, Richard Williams, Roger Bloor, Xenofon Sgouros in 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.
Therapeutic Potential of Ocimum tenuiflorum L.: Metabolic and Mental Disorders
Megh R. Goyal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Ademola Olabode Ayeleso, T. Jesse Joel, Sujogya Kumar Panda in The Therapeutic Properties of Medicinal Plants, 2019
Benzodiazepines are regularly prescribed CNS depressants that are considered relatively safe when compared with the barbiturates. Some commonly prescribed benzodiazepines are: Alprazolam;Clonazepam;Diazepam;Lorazepam;Triazolam;Temazepam;Chlordiazepoxide.
Medications That May Be Useful in the Management of Patients with Chronic Intractable Pain
Michael S. Margoles, Richard Weiner in Chronic PAIN, 2019
The cry that the benzodiazepines are addictive is just about as intense as that for the opioids or opioid-containing analgesics. As we will see in later parts of the medication sections, under the heading of DDS, addiction is a property of the person and not the pill. There are two types of depression seen in chronic pain patients: (1) that which is due to internal and situational problems and (2) that which is due to anxiety. Those patients with anxiety-related depression respond better to the benzodiazepines or similar antianxiety medication than the medications seen here in the section on mood elevators and antidepressants. Giving a TCA or SSRI antidepressant to an anxiously depressed chronic pain patient could have disastrous consequences. About one-half of my patient population has depression due to anxiety.
Interest in treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine among people who use opioids in Baltimore City, Maryland (USA)
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2023
Sean T. Allen, Kristin E. Schneider, Saba Rouhani, Rebecca Hamilton White, Miles Morris, Jill Owczarzak, Susan G. Sherman
Participants reported how frequently they used different drugs in the past 3 months. Based on this, we created a binary indicator for if a participant had used each substance at least once per month. Tranquilizers or benzodiazepines included Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Phinergans, and Valium. Prescription stimulants included substances such as Adderall, Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta, Dexedrine, dextroamphetamine. We also asked about non-injection crack or cocaine, non-injection fentanyl, non-injection fentanyl and cocaine together, and non-injection heroin. Participants further reported if they had injected any drugs at least monthly in the past 3 months. We defined public drug use as use in any of the following locations in the past 3 months: street/park, an abandoned building, a shooting gallery, car/vehicle/bus/metro, stairwell, or a public bathroom. We also asked participants if they had ever overdosed and if they had experienced an overdose in the past 6 months.
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].
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).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Anxiety Disorder
- Benzene
- Chlordiazepoxide
- Depressant
- Diazepam
- Insomnia
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
- Neurotransmitter
- Seizure
- Γ-Aminobutyric Acid