4 Steps to Understanding Benzodiazepines:
A Guide to the Site

No matter what your background, if you think you may be caught up in the world of benzodiazepine or Z-drug dependence, it can be a scary and confusing place. You will likely receive conflicting or contradictory information from a variety of sources, including: friends, family, your medical provider(s), and what you search out from the web and other sources.  If you are currently taking benzodiazepines or Z-drugs, have previously used them, or know someone who is taking or has taken them, the following steps will act as a patient’s guide to the site, and will help you to find your way to recovery and a life free of benzodiazepines or Z-drugs.

First, Determine the Problem

Do I need to take benzos or Z-drugs?

These medications have a role in a range of medical conditions (see the Efficacy page); however, loss of benefit after 2-4 weeks of use is common. This may only be obvious only after the drugs have been stopped.

Do I have side effects from taking benzos or Z-drugs?

Many adverse reactions can occur as a result of taking these medications (see the Problems page). These include psychological symptoms – even symptoms like anxiety which benzos were supposed to be treating! They also can include symptoms that appear at first to be unrelated to these drugs. A careful review with your medical provider can help, but here, too, it may become obvious only after discontinuation.

Am I dependent on benzos or Z-drugs?

Look at the this quick test to determine if you or someone you know is possibly physiologically dependent.  There is also a Q&A series to help you make your own determination.

Should I be alarmed if I’m dependent on benzos or Z-drugs? 

Once you have become physiologically dependent on these drugs, there is a significant chance that you will experience unpleasant physical and/or psychological symptoms both while using these drugs and upon discontinuation.  This is known as benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.  This is discussed in both the Dependence page and the Withdrawal page.

Am I addicted to benzos or Z-drugs?

“Addicted” is an emotionally loaded word, and chances are that it does not apply to you.  For example, it does not apply to you if you became physiologically dependent on benzos or Z-drugs by using them as prescribed.  The difference between addiction and physiological dependence is defined in detail in the Terminology page and the Dependence and Addiction page.  Because physiological dependence on benzos or Z-drugs is much more common than addiction, most of this site refers to the problem as “physiological dependence”.

Do I have the withdrawal syndrome?

Over time, a person who is physiologically dependent on these drugs can begin to exhibit some or many of the symptoms of withdrawal, even if their dosage is unchanged, and even if the dosage is “normal” or low.  A list of symptoms that are typical of benzo and Z-drug withdrawal are discussed HERE.

Second, Know Your Drugs

What are benzos and Z-drugs?  How do they work?

You will find a brief explanation of these two classes of drugs in the What are Benzos? page. That same page also provides a list of most of the drugs in these two categories. If you want the details on how they work, see the For Prescribers page.

Am I taking a little of these drugs or a lot?

It depends on the type of benzo or Z-drug, because each has its own strength.  Typical therapeutic doses and dosage equivalents of each of these drugs are shown in the tables HERE.

How can I find out more about these drugs?

Every drug is required to have an FDA-approved “label” or “prescribing information” that lists the manufacturer’s research and testing, problems and limitations.  These are intended for prescribers, and have a lot of detailed information.  They can be found in the Links page.  At the end of the FDA-approved document for each medication you will find a section called “Medication Guide”, which is written for patients and is more readable. Several books have been written on the dangers of these drugs, and links to the books can be found HERE.  The For Prescribers page goes into a lot of detail about benzodiazepines.  The Alliance brought together a group of MDs and researchers to write the most-comprehensive book on benzos, “The Benzodiazepines Crisis:  the Ramifications of an Overused Drug Class”.  For the truly determined researcher, over 1000 technical papers can be found in the Benzodiazepine Reference Library.

What have other people experienced?

Links to books with personal stories of benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery can be found HERE. There are many on-line forums for benzodiazepine withdrawal sufferers, and links to these can be found HERE.

Third, Choose a Course of Action

What can I do?

Once aware of the long-term problems of physiological dependence, your choices come down to continuing to suffer a range of often increasing symptoms, or developing a withdrawal plan.  You will need to balance the risks and benefits of continued and/or increasing symptoms versus withdrawal (see the next question about who can help you).  To assist in this choice, see the Efficacy pages starting HERE and the Problems pages starting HERE.  A withdrawal plan usually consists of tapering off of the drugs and a subsequent period of recovery.  For withdrawal details, see the For Prescribers page and scroll down to the topics under “Dependence and Withdrawal”.

Who can help me?

Unfortunately, many medical providers are unaware of the extent and severity of benzodiazepine-related problems, including withdrawal, and may not understand how to help you manage the discontinuation process. You will need to find a “benzo-wise” prescriber to help you develop a plan. What to look for in a prescriber can be found in the “Speaking with Your Medical Provider” page.  If you are having difficulty locating a prescriber who is knowledgeable about benzodiazepine withdrawal, there are a set of tools for patients that can help you convert your current clinician into one.

Fourth, Get Support Help

Don’t skip this step!  Support is very important for someone withdrawing from physiological dependence on benzos or Z-drugs.  The withdrawal and recovery process can be protracted and hard on relationships.  It is important to get the support of others who understand what you are experiencing. This should include significant other people in your life like family and friends. It can also include peer recovery coaches who are often benzodiazepine survivors themselves. Understand that because withdrawal varies so widely, the experience of others may not correspond to your own experience.