Our in home benzo detox professionals know a benzo detox is one of the most difficult to successfully perform. It requires an experienced addiction professional that has experienced the detoxification process. We’ve seen many Doctors who do not know how to help the many that are dependent on benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed For anxiety disorder and are meant to be short term use. Most prescribers end up putting patients on benzodiazepines for longer than they should, which results in a need to increase the dosage so that the benzo can maintain its effectiveness. Overtime this creates a benzo brain injury.
Benzos work on the GABA receptors in the brain which is the brains “calming” chemical, or break pedal. During benzo usage these neurons stop effectively producing themselves and rely on the medication to release the GABA receptors and to keep the nervous system calm. When you have reached dependence The brain has stopped producing its own GABA and the medication no longer works. This may result in what we call a physical dependence to benzodiazepines.
A host of benzo withdrawal symptoms may become present during this stage of a benzo detox. A benzodiazepine detox may have these symptoms.
The benzo withdrawal symptoms can become debilitating for some. Many people end up agoraphobic unable to leave their home, their brains are mostly in a state of fight or flight constantly. Not all patients experience this, but a large majority at one point will experience some type of inter-dose dependence withdrawal. Some people symptoms are milder than others.
Often times in the Detox world, and the medical industry, medical professionals diagnose physical dependence on benzodiazepines as in addiction. This could not be further from the truth. The majority of people who have been put on benzos take them as prescribed and are suffering from a physical dependence on the medication not an addiction due to wanting to get high. Most people addicted to benzodiazepines are not addicts in fact only .2% abuse benzos.
Addiction is typically when somebody abuses a drug or medication to get high off of it. Most benzodiazepine sufferers were put on a benzo to help with either anxiety or some form of depression. Because the medical community is grossly unaware of what could potentially happen taking benzodiazepines, even short term, many benzo users are left to suffer debilitating side effects from the medication.
This is often misdiagnosed as an addiction problem. Benzo users are left with either being cut off cold turkey, or being placed on very rapid tapers by their physicians and suffer side effects due to the nature of coming off too quickly.
For most people benzodiazepines eventually lose their effectiveness, leaving the patient wondering why their benzo withdrawal symptoms are getting worse and the reason that they started taking the benzodiazepines in the first place are getting worse.
Eventually your brain reaches tolerance leaving the patient needing more and more of the medication. Often times physicians will just increase the dose of the medication which ultimately leads to a higher dosage and reaching tolerance in the higher dosage and the patient with nowhere left to turn. This happens to the majority of people taking benzodiazepines whether it has been a month or 20 years.
Unfortunately, the medical community is unaware of this problem leading to increasing patient dosages and unable to effectively deprescribe the patient. Ultimately, the benzo needs to be tapered very slowly in order to give the brain ample time to heal and detox from the benzodiazepine drugs.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms are among the worst in detoxification. These require a specialize long taper and benzo buddies or benzo coaches that have been through the process. What kind of symptoms may I experience during benzo withdrawal, while in tolerance, and during tapering? If you or a loved one are experiencing these benzo withdrawal symptoms give us a call at 310-484-4803 and get expert professional advice.
Benzo tolerance happens when the medication becomes ineffective, and the symptoms he started taking it for in the first place start to worsen. There are also a host of debilitating effects that happened during the stage and the only way to stop it is to come off safely and slowly.
Kindling is described when there is a subsequent use of a medication followed by worsened severity in withdrawal symptoms. It is a neurological condition associated with going on benzos ( or other substances) and coming off of them with the same cycle of the medication not working and going through increasingly worsened withdrawal symptoms. This often happens as a repeated withdrawal syndrome from taking a medication that you have withdrawn from previously. The medication no longer works and is followed by more severe withdrawal symptoms.
The only safe and effective way at this time to come off of benzodiazepines is very slow tapers. They should be individualized as everybody’s taper is very different and everybody’s symptoms are very different. Typically, a patient will have to switch their benzo to a longer acting benzo such as Valium.
Patients coming off of benzos and tapering should be collaborative and patient guided working with your physician. Only the patient will know when they are ready to drop the next small dosage, based on their symptoms. Some patients drop every two weeks some patients drop once a month. The recommended drop is 5% to 10% of the daily amount of benzos every two weeks to a month depending on how your body tolerates the decrease. Some patients noticed that as they are decreasing and as difficult as it is, they start to feel some relief.
Detox Concierge in home detox Beverly Hills provides private, in-home detox from benzodiazepine. We will provide for all of your needs, from the start of treatment, and continuing to help you all the way through the detox.
We also include a discharge plan to ensure success moving forward in your new life free from benzo dependency.
Many patients coming off of benzodiazepines experience a lot of depression and suicidality is common.
There are a few but very effective benzo coaches available. We also have nursing staff with experience available to speak with directly via the app. You are able to book sessions via our app with nursing and benzo buddies coaches. What is special about the benzo coaches is that they have gone through the same things that you are going through right now. It’s impossible to describe to somebody who hasn’t gone through this what it feels like and most people don’t understand or take it seriously. This can be very frustrating and we are here to help.
There’s also a free suicide hotline should you have suicidal thoughts 1-800-273-8255
There are soldiers on the ground educating and bringing awareness to the medical community regarding taking patients off of their medication improperly.
The only safe and effective way to heal the brain properly and safely come off of benzodiazepines is to do a slow gradual taper. Following the Ashton method which is available to you online for free is the most effective way to come off of benzodiazepines. Please show this manual to your physician and request that they follow these guidelines that were created for the safest most effective benzo tapers.
Don't wait. Start living again.
Text or Call Now For A Free, Confidential Consultation with Detox Concierge Professionals