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Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), midazolam, oxazepam (Serepax), temazepam and nitrazepam (Mogadon).

Benzodiazepines are prescription drugs and many people who have become addicted to them did so after a doctor prescribed them.

Benzodiazepines reduce anxiety. However, when someone has been using them for some time, they often find that they need a higher and higher dose to achieve the same effect. This is because prolonged use makes the receptors in the brain that detect them less sensitive. Someone who becomes addicted to benzodiazepines can feel shaky and anxious almost all the time because their body’s own natural benzodiazepine molecules are no longer effective in calming them down. That makes benzodiazepines hard to come off.

Many overdose deaths are caused by using a combination of drugs, such as heroin and benzodiazepines.

Benzodiazepine Treatment

At Fresh Start, benzodiazepine dependence can be treated with a range of medications. The medications aim to counter the physical addiction by clearing away the benzodiazepine molecules from the brain. When someone has been using benzodiazepines for some time, they often find that they need a higher and higher dose to achieve the same effect. This is because prolonged use makes the receptors in the brain that detect them less sensitive. The medications Fresh Start uses restore these receptors’ sensitivity.