How is benzodiazepine addiction expressed?

The line that separates what we consider psychotropic drugs from what we usually call “drugs” is more blurred than it seems. In fact, technically, psychotropic drugs are drugs, although culturally their use is not associated with what is morally wrong.

However, there are cases in which the substances used in medicine to treat pathologies become drugs as well. in the negative sense of the term, generating a process of dependency and degradation of health due to its use constant. Here We will see how a specific type of anxiolytic-type psychotropic drug, benzodiazepines, can cause addiction.

• Related article: "Benzodiazepines (psychoactive drug): uses, effects and risks"

What are benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines are a set of psychotropic drugs commonly used for their anxiolytic and sedative effects. This means that they help reduce the intensity of nervous activity, something useful for, for example, helping people with anxiety or insomnia problems. Thus, its use produces a feeling of relaxation that is also expressed in a change in observable behavior patterns.

There are many types of benzodiazepines with different mechanisms of action, but they are generally considered its characteristic effect on the human body is given by its agonist role for GABA; This means that it enhances the influence of this neurotransmitter, which is known to be an inhibitor of the activity of neurons. In short, taking benzodiazepines increases the chances that many neurons in certain parts of the brain tend to be less active than they were before.

On the other hand, benzodiazepines were introduced in the drug market among other things to replace barbiturates, which have more side effects and have greater potential addictive. However, as we will see, benzodiazepine addiction is also a reality.

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Characteristics of benzodiazepine addiction

These are the phenomena that come hand in hand with benzodiazepine addiction.

1. Tolerance

As with all drugs with addictive potential, the use of benzodiazepines can produce tolerance to this substance, which means that over time the person needs to consume a greater amount to obtain the same effects. This phenomenon causes many people to lose control of their habits of taking this drug and start taking it without measure, which in turn triggers the intensity of the addiction. Following the doctor's instructions is essential to minimize the risk of this happening.

2. Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome

Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome It occurs many times when the use of this drug is stopped or when the dose to be taken is adjusted down too abruptly: once again, the existence of this phenomenon shows the extent to which the health professional's instructions must always be followed when using these drugs.

On the other hand, the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome is made up of a set of symptoms that generate discomfort and that in the most extreme cases can even involve health hazards or result lethal.

In general, this syndrome can be understood as a kind of "rebound effect", which means that as the The body has become accustomed to the presence of benzodiazepines in its system, when you stop consuming the substance, you produces an imbalance in which the biological and psychological processes associated with high nervous activation have nothing to counteract them: This is why insomnia, high levels of anxiety, irritability, and in severe cases, even seizures or a generalized collapse of the body's functioning occur.

3. Use of benzodiazepines to offset the effects of other drugs

Scientific research on addictions shows that people who have developed Substance use disorders are much more likely to become addicted to other substances than the average for the population. That is the existence of one drug addiction encourages the appearance of another.

In the case of benzodiazepine dependence this is relevant, since it is known that many Stimulant drug addicts use the former to try to counteract the effects of stimulant drugs. second; for example, when amphetamines have generated a state of discomfort due to high sensitivity to any stimulus. In this way, both types of psychoactive substance reinforce the consolidation of the other's addiction.

4. In extreme cases, greater propensity for violence

It could be counterintuitive to think that the consumption of substances that inhibit nervous activity, as is the case with benzodiazepines, is capable of giving rise to a greater predisposition to behavior violent. And yet, statistically it occurs: although each person is a world and the cases must be analyzed individually, it is known that those who consume this class of substances are more likely to end up adopting aggressive behavior patterns.

What is the cause of that? The key is not to focus on the immediate effects of benzodiazepine use, but on the addiction itself. What is important is not the simple interaction between neurons and the molecules that constitute the active principle of benzodiazepines, but the way in which the Dependence, without adequate professional help, makes people more desperate and prone to make impulsive decisions to get rid of the discomfort due to abstinence.

With getting back into drug use a priority, anything that gets in the way of drug use is seen as a problem, including many people. Therefore, a good part of the work done in therapy for people with addictions has to do with the management of discomfort.

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Looking for addiction treatment?

If you have a problem related to addictions, it is very important that you seek professional help as soon as possible. In the event that you have developed dependence on the consumption of a psychoactive substance or suffer another type of addiction without drugs, such as pathological gambling, please contact us.

On CITA Clinics we specialize in the treatment of addictions, offering both medical and psychiatric as well as psychotherapeutic care. In addition, we work both carrying out specific therapy sessions, as well as a follow-up program in our residential module designed for income, fully equipped and located in a natural environment. On this page you can see our contact details.

Bibliographic references:

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• Goodman and Gilman's (1996). 17. The pharmacological basis of therapeutics. New York: Pergamon Press.
• Shader, R.I.; Divoll, M., Harmatz, J.S. (nineteen eighty one). Benzodiazepines: a summary of pharmacokinetic properties. British journal of clinical pharmacology.
• Treiman, D.M. (1989). Pharmacokinetics and clinical use of benzodiazepines in the management of status epilepticus. Epilepsy. 30 (2): pp. 4 - 10.