Are You Dependent on Benzodiazepines or Experiencing Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome?

How do you know if you are dependent on benzos and experiencing a form of withdrawal? Here is a relatively simple guide to see if this might be the case. The likelihood that you are dependent on and experiencing withdrawal from benzos increases as you proceed down the chart.

The list of symptoms can be found here.  Note that it is possible to be experiencing benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome even if you answer only the first question with a “yes”. Incredibly, there are many reported cases where patients used benzos for less than 2 weeks and have experienced withdrawal.

How physiological dependence occurs is straightforward. The nervous system is constantly responding to stimulus. It corrects and rebalances itself after the stimulus is withdrawn. Continued use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs provides an ongoing stimulus that reduces neural receptivity to other stimuli. Over time, the neural system rebalances itself by increasing its receptivity to other stimuli. If the benzodiazepines or Z-drugs are then discontinued, the neurons become more sensitive than they were before the administration of the benzodiazepine or Z-drug. For many patients, they now experience a form of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. This can be an unpleasant and sometimes very painful and difficult experience. This is usually termed physiological dependence or addiction. It often leads the prescriber to increase the dosage of the medication, or leads the patient to request more benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. For a more in-depth explanation, please see the Dependence page.