Benzodiazepines Uses, Indications, and Side Effects

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Benzodiazepines WorkUsesTypesCommon Side EffectsLong-Term Side EffectsDependence and AddictionWithdrawalInteractionsOverdosePrecautions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Benzodiazepines Work

Uses

Types

Common Side Effects

Long-Term Side Effects

Dependence and Addiction

Withdrawal

Interactions

Overdose

Precautions

Close

What is the most important information I should know about benzodiazepines?Benzodiazepines carry a risk for dependence and addiction, so they should only be used as a short-term treatment.Do not stop taking benzodiazepines without talking to your doctor; these medications should be tapered slowly to minimize risky withdrawal complications.

What is the most important information I should know about benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines carry a risk for dependence and addiction, so they should only be used as a short-term treatment.Do not stop taking benzodiazepines without talking to your doctor; these medications should be tapered slowly to minimize risky withdrawal complications.

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs known as central nervous system depressants, used to treat various mood disorders and other health conditions, including seizures, insomnia, and alcohol withdrawal.

While they’re effective in treating these conditions for a short time, benzodiazepines may cause frustrating side effects like drowsiness, loss of libido, and lack of coordination.

Long-term use of benzodiazepines can lead to adverse behavioral symptoms and drug dependence.

Benzodiazepine Uses

Benzodiazepines have properties that make them useful in treating a number of health conditions. They can act as a muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant and also have sedative (relaxing), hypnotic (sleep-inducing), and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects.

Some of their indications for use include:

Other uses include the inducement of calm before surgery or a medical procedure and the treatment of muscle spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and abnormal sleep patterns.

Types of Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines come in different formulations. Some are short-acting, some are long-acting, and they vary in potency. The most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines and the conditions they’re typically prescribed to treat include:

Other benzodiazepines and the conditions they’re typically prescribed to treat include:

Common Benzodiazepine Side Effects

Most of the side effects of benzodiazepines are related to the depressant effect the drug has on your central nervous system. Common side effects depend on the medication you’re using but, in general, they include:

Long-term use of benzodiazepines may trigger a worsening of side effects and, in some cases, paradoxical side effects, meaning that you may experience an opposite response to the drug than you previously had. Some of these side effects can adversely affect your mood and behavior, causing an altered perception of yourself, your environment, or your relationships.

Long-term side effects may include:

Benzodiazepine Dependence and Addiction

Benzodiazepines are aSchedule IV medicationdue to their risk of physical and psychological addiction. As such, they are usually prescribed for no more than two to four weeks.

When they’re taken for longer periods, benzodiazepines can lead to tolerance and dependence, meaning that your body will require more of the drug to achieve the same therapeutic effect. This can lead to abuse and/or dependence.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

If you use any of these drugs for too long, you can experience symptoms of withdrawal if you suddenly stop. Don’t ever stop taking a benzodiazepine without talking to your doctor first.

Your dosage will be gradually tapered off to minimize some of the more profound symptoms ofwithdrawal, including:

Benzodiazepine Drug Interactions

Not only can they cause dependence, but there are also many substances that can interact with benzodiazepines and cause accidental overdose or even death.

Alcohol and opioid pain relievers, both of which also act as central nervous system depressants, can greatly magnify the effect of benzodiazepines. Together, these drugs may slow your respiration and heart function to a point where they may stop altogether.

Because of this potentially life-threatening result, benzodiazepines should not be taken with alcohol, opioid drugs, or any other benzodiazepine, unless your doctor has decided that the benefits outweigh the risks in your particular situation.

Be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products you’re taking before you start on a benzodiazepine. Some of these can also cause serious interactions. Your doctor may need to change your dose or closely monitor you while taking a benzodiazepine.

Some of the other medications and herbs that can cause interactions with benzos include:

Benzodiazepine Overdose

Potential symptoms of a benzodiazepine overdose include:

If you think someone has overdosed on benzodiazepines, call the Poison Control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 orvisit their website for help. However, if the person has fallen down, is having seizures, can’t breathe without difficulty, or is unconscious, call 911 to get immediate emergency help.911

If you think someone has overdosed on benzodiazepines, call the Poison Control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 orvisit their website for help. However, if the person has fallen down, is having seizures, can’t breathe without difficulty, or is unconscious, call 911 to get immediate emergency help.

911

Precautions When Taking Benzodiazepines

There are circumstances and conditions in which the use of benzodiazepines should be carefully considered or even avoided. Among them include:

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

19 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Griffin CE 3rd, Kaye AM, Bueno FR, Kaye AD.Benzodiazepine pharmacology and central nervous system-mediated effects.Ochsner J. 2013;13(2):214–223.Mehdi T.Benzodiazepines revisited.BJMP. 2012;5(1):a501.Kim PM, Weinstein SL.Benzodiazepines.Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. 2016.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Xanax (alprazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Klonopin (clonazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Valium (diazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Ativan (lorazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Halcion (triazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Restoril (temazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Midazolam injection, USP.Food and Drug Administration.Librium C-IV (chlordiazepoxide HCI) capsules.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Tranxene T-TAB (clorazepate dipotassium) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Serax (oxazepam) capsules and tablets.Zoroufchi BH, Doustmohammadi H, Mokhtari T, Abdollahpour A.Benzodiazepines related sexual dysfunctions: A critical review on pharmacology and mechanism of action.Rev Int Androl. 2021;19(1):62-68. doi:10.1016/j.androl.2019.08.003Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Benzodiazepines. In:Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide. 2017 ed.Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Food and Drug Administration (FDA).FDA drug safety communication: FDA warns about serious risks and death when combining opioid pain or cough medicines with benzodiazepines; requires its strongest warning.Kang M, Galuska MA, Ghassemzadeh S.Benzodiazepine toxicity. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.Donovan LM, Malte CA, Spece LJ, et al.Risks of benzodiazepines in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder.Annals ATS. 2019;16(1):82-90. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201802-145OC

19 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Griffin CE 3rd, Kaye AM, Bueno FR, Kaye AD.Benzodiazepine pharmacology and central nervous system-mediated effects.Ochsner J. 2013;13(2):214–223.Mehdi T.Benzodiazepines revisited.BJMP. 2012;5(1):a501.Kim PM, Weinstein SL.Benzodiazepines.Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. 2016.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Xanax (alprazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Klonopin (clonazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Valium (diazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Ativan (lorazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Halcion (triazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Restoril (temazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Midazolam injection, USP.Food and Drug Administration.Librium C-IV (chlordiazepoxide HCI) capsules.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Tranxene T-TAB (clorazepate dipotassium) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Serax (oxazepam) capsules and tablets.Zoroufchi BH, Doustmohammadi H, Mokhtari T, Abdollahpour A.Benzodiazepines related sexual dysfunctions: A critical review on pharmacology and mechanism of action.Rev Int Androl. 2021;19(1):62-68. doi:10.1016/j.androl.2019.08.003Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Benzodiazepines. In:Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide. 2017 ed.Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Food and Drug Administration (FDA).FDA drug safety communication: FDA warns about serious risks and death when combining opioid pain or cough medicines with benzodiazepines; requires its strongest warning.Kang M, Galuska MA, Ghassemzadeh S.Benzodiazepine toxicity. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.Donovan LM, Malte CA, Spece LJ, et al.Risks of benzodiazepines in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder.Annals ATS. 2019;16(1):82-90. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201802-145OC

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Griffin CE 3rd, Kaye AM, Bueno FR, Kaye AD.Benzodiazepine pharmacology and central nervous system-mediated effects.Ochsner J. 2013;13(2):214–223.Mehdi T.Benzodiazepines revisited.BJMP. 2012;5(1):a501.Kim PM, Weinstein SL.Benzodiazepines.Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. 2016.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Xanax (alprazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Klonopin (clonazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Valium (diazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Ativan (lorazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Halcion (triazolam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Restoril (temazepam) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Midazolam injection, USP.Food and Drug Administration.Librium C-IV (chlordiazepoxide HCI) capsules.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Tranxene T-TAB (clorazepate dipotassium) tablets.Food and Drug Administration.Serax (oxazepam) capsules and tablets.Zoroufchi BH, Doustmohammadi H, Mokhtari T, Abdollahpour A.Benzodiazepines related sexual dysfunctions: A critical review on pharmacology and mechanism of action.Rev Int Androl. 2021;19(1):62-68. doi:10.1016/j.androl.2019.08.003Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Benzodiazepines. In:Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide. 2017 ed.Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Food and Drug Administration (FDA).FDA drug safety communication: FDA warns about serious risks and death when combining opioid pain or cough medicines with benzodiazepines; requires its strongest warning.Kang M, Galuska MA, Ghassemzadeh S.Benzodiazepine toxicity. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.Donovan LM, Malte CA, Spece LJ, et al.Risks of benzodiazepines in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder.Annals ATS. 2019;16(1):82-90. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201802-145OC

Griffin CE 3rd, Kaye AM, Bueno FR, Kaye AD.Benzodiazepine pharmacology and central nervous system-mediated effects.Ochsner J. 2013;13(2):214–223.

Mehdi T.Benzodiazepines revisited.BJMP. 2012;5(1):a501.

Kim PM, Weinstein SL.Benzodiazepines.Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. 2016.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Xanax (alprazolam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Klonopin (clonazepam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Valium (diazepam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Ativan (lorazepam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Halcion (triazolam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Restoril (temazepam) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration.Midazolam injection, USP.

Food and Drug Administration.Librium C-IV (chlordiazepoxide HCI) capsules.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Tranxene T-TAB (clorazepate dipotassium) tablets.

Food and Drug Administration.Serax (oxazepam) capsules and tablets.

Zoroufchi BH, Doustmohammadi H, Mokhtari T, Abdollahpour A.Benzodiazepines related sexual dysfunctions: A critical review on pharmacology and mechanism of action.Rev Int Androl. 2021;19(1):62-68. doi:10.1016/j.androl.2019.08.003

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Benzodiazepines. In:Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide. 2017 ed.

Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023

Food and Drug Administration (FDA).FDA drug safety communication: FDA warns about serious risks and death when combining opioid pain or cough medicines with benzodiazepines; requires its strongest warning.

Kang M, Galuska MA, Ghassemzadeh S.Benzodiazepine toxicity. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.

Donovan LM, Malte CA, Spece LJ, et al.Risks of benzodiazepines in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder.Annals ATS. 2019;16(1):82-90. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201802-145OC

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