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Withdrawal syndrome
Withdrawal is a series of physical, emotional and behaviour changes experienced when a drug is cut down or ceased. If you have become physically dependent on benzodiazepines, your body and brain have become so accustomed to having the drug every day that you will experience withdrawal symptoms when you cut down the dose or stop the drug.
It is estimated that between 50-80% of people who have taken benzodiazepines continually for six months or longer will experience withdrawal symptoms when reducing the dose.
People who have been taking benzodiazepines regularly for many years can have symptoms of withdrawal most of the time, even when they have not reduced the dose. Often they are unaware that their poor physical and mental health is related to their long term use of the benzodiazepines.
How severe are the symptoms of withdrawal?
Not everyone who cuts down or stops taking benzodiazepines has withdrawal symptoms, and the experience of withdrawal varies from person to person. Some people have a few weeks of discomfort only, while others have severe symptoms, often for months on end.
The range and severity of symptoms often take people by surprise, and for many people the intensity of benzodiazepine withdrawal is overwhelming.
How long does withdrawal last?
Withdrawal from benzodiazepines can take many weeks or months, or, for a very small percentage of people, even years. Usually the length of time someone has been taking benzodiazepines or the amount he or she has been taking will have the most impact on the time it takes for withdrawal symptoms to pass.
Apart from the length of time taking benzodiazepines and the dose, there are no predictors for the severity or otherwise of the withdrawal. Slowly reducing the dose of the drug minimises the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.
What is it like to experience benzodiazepine withdrawal?
The withdrawal period can be very erratic in nature. People withdrawing from benzodiazepines may experience days when they are totally free of symptoms, followed by days of mild or more severe withdrawal symptoms. The presence and severity of symptoms tend to fluctuate, and many people experience a wide range of symptoms.
One symptom which is particularly severe or troublesome may predominate for a time or for the whole withdrawal episode. People are often seriously ill or distressed at times during withdrawal.
Improvement occurs gradually, with more symptom –free days occurring and symptoms reducing in severity and number. Once through the withdrawal period, the majority of people recover completely, often experiencing good mental and physical health for the first time for a long time.
A number of people, however, have observed changes in their cognitive abilities following long term benzodiazepine use. Research undertaken by the School of Psychology at LaTrobe University has shown that many people who have been taking benzodiazepines long term have problems with concentration, learning and memory. (If you think this may have happened to you, it can be useful to undergo testing and a course of training.)
What are the symptoms of withdrawal?
There are many symptoms that can be experienced during benzodiazepine withdrawal. The following is a list of possible withdrawal symptoms:
| Common withdrawal symptoms
Abdominal pains and cramp
Agoraphobia
Anxiety
Breathing difficulties
Blurred vision
Changes in perception (faces distorting and inanimate objects moving)
Depression
Distended abdomen
Dizziness
Extreme lethargy
Fears
Feelings of unreality
Flu-like symptoms
Heavy limbs
Heart palpitations
Hypersensitivity to light
Indigestion
Insomnia
Irritability
Lack of concentration
Lack of co-ordination
Loss of balance
Loss of memory
Muscular aches and pains
Nausea
Nightmares
Panic attacks
Rapid mood changes
Restlessness
Severe headaches
Shaking
Seeing spots before the eyes
Sore eyes
Sweating
Tightness in the chest
Tightness in the head
Rare withdrawal symptoms
Blackouts -an episode where the person has no recall of their activity.(This is rare with low dose use, but less rare when large amounts have been taken)
Bleeding from the nose
Bleeding between menstrual cycles
Burning along the spine
Burning sensation around the mouth
Discharge from the breasts
Falling hair
Haemorrhoids
Hypersensitivity to touch
Rectal bleeding
Sinus pain
Seizures (fits) Almost unknown if people reduce gradually. More common for people using high doses who stop suddenly.
Sensitive or painful teeth
Swollen breasts |
Less common withdrawal symptoms
Aching jaw
Craving for sweet food
Constipation
Depersonalisation (a feeling of not knowing who you are)
Diarrhoea
Difficulty swallowing
Feeling of the ground moving
Hallucinations (auditory and visual)
Hyperactivity
Hypersensitivity to sound
Incontinence of urine, or frequency and urgency
Increased saliva
Loss or changes in appetite
Loss of taste or metallic taste
Menstrual problems (painful periods, irregular periods, cessation of periods)
Morbid thoughts
Numbness in any part of the body
Outbursts of rage or aggression
Paranoia
Painful scalp
Persistent, unpleasant memories
Pins and needles
Rapid changes in body temperature
Sexual problems (changes in libido)
Skin problems (dryness, itchiness, rashes, slow healing)
Sore mouth and tongue
Speech difficulties
Suicidal thoughts
Tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ears)
Unusually sensitive (unable to watch the news on television or read the newspaper)
Vaginal discharge
Uncharacteristic behaviour such as shoplifting
Vomiting
Weight loss or gain |
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