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What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a group of depressant drugs commonly called tranquillizers and sleeping pills. The chemical compound was first discovered in an Austrian laboratory in 1954. Today, a wide variety of benzos are manufactured by drug companies and sold in many countries around the world.
Benzos usually come in the form of pills or tablets and are swallowed or administered as a suppository. They also come in liquid form and can be injected. Some benzos come in soluable slips that fit under the tongue and dissolve in the mouth.
Benzos are normally prescribed by a doctor. Some of the most well-known benzos (and their trade names) are:
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Diazepam (Valium)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol)
There are three types of benzos: short-acting, medium-acting and long-acting. This classification relates to the length of time a drug affects the body.
How do benzos work?
When benzos reach the brain, they increase the calming effects of a naturally-occurring chemical (neurotransmitter) called Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA). GABA’s natural function is to slow things down in the body.
Because benzos decrease activity in the central nervous system, they affect a person’s emotional reactions, mental skills and physical abilities. For this reason they are useful in treating anxiety disorders, insomnia, seizures and muscle spasms.
Why do people use benzos?
Doctors prescribe benzos to people who need help coping with anxiety or sleeping problems. These disorders are often the result of social or personal problems such as grief, sexual assault, domestic violence or stress related to work or family life.
People with age-related problems are most likely to use benzos. Doctors prescribe the drug to people who suffer from arthritis, muscle pain, menopausal problems, sleeping difficulties and dementia.
The drug is also given to people with certain physical conditions, including headaches, high blood pressure, menstrual problems, skin conditions and injuries related to accidents. Benzos have also proven effective in helping people through severe alcohol and other drug withdrawal.
Some people use benzos for recreational reasons. They may steal or borrow from someone else’s prescription because they like experiencing the feeling of near-sedation or extreme relaxation.
There are also people who use benzos for criminal purposes. For example, robbers have been known to use Flunitrazepam to drug victims during a home invasion. Under heavy sedation, home owners are powerless to protect their belongings. The drug is also well known as a date rape drug. Unsuspecting women have been slipped the drug in their drinks and later sexually assaulted. Most victims report having trouble remembering the people involved or the events themselves.
What are the risks and health effects of using benzos?
The way benzos affect a user depends on the person’s weight, age, mood and method of administration. Some of the immediate effects include:
feeling relaxed and content
feeling drowsy and having no energy
becoming confused or dizzy
slurring words or stuttering
blurred or double vision
poor memory
For older people, using benzos comes with specific risks. Age-related changes in their bodies can make short- and medium-acting medication last longer. This can increase a person’s risk of over-medicating themselves. Other problems include:
impaired blood pressure regulation
impaired balance control
memory loss
emotional changes and worsening symptoms of depression
respiratory problems in people with emphysema and chronic bronchitis
After using the drug for a long time, a person may suffer from headaches, stomach problems and loss of energy and interest in daily activities. They may also become cranky and depressed.
When is using benzos a problem?
Whenever a person’s use of benzos negatively affects their life, or the lives of others, they have a problem with the drug.
Using benzos can be dangerous when it involves:
mixing substances: When the drug is mixed with alcohol and other depressants, a user can become dangerously sedated or fall into a coma.
pregnancy: Babies born to mothers who used benzos during pregnancy can develop learning and behavioural problems. Babies with large quantities of the drug in their system suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms.
operating a vehicle: Driving under the influence of any drug, including prescription medications that are used illegally, is dangerous and illegal. Improper use of the drug impairs a person’s ability to drive carefully.
Benzos are meant to be a temporary solution to a physical or mental health problem. When they are taken for longer periods, they become less effective. This can cause a person to start using increasing amounts of benzos in order to get the desired effect. Over time, repeated use of higher and higher doses can lead to dependence.
Long-term use of benzos to soothe anxiety is likely to produce the opposite effect. This is because long-term use creates dependence, and dependence brings about withdrawal symptoms. Ultimately, a user will become anxious about not taking their anxiety medication.
Benzos that are used as sleeping pills are only effective for one or two weeks. Longer use may cause an increase in the number of times a person wakes up in the night and a decrease in the amount of deep sleep they get.
Sleeping pills don’t address the underlying causes of insomnia. And they don’t correct age-related sleep disruptions. It’s better for a person to find alternative ways to improve their sleep patterns.
Are benzodiazepines legal?
Benzodiazepines are legal when prescribed by a doctor. Using someone else’s prescription, or selling medication to other people, is illegal.
What to do if you or someone you know is experiencing a problem with benzodiazepines?
For information on treatment options and resources throughout BC, call the Alcohol and Drug Information Referral Service at 1–800–663–1441. In Greater Vancouver, call 604–660–9382.
For information on ways to help yourself with a substance use problem, see the “Tips” section of the Here to Help website: www.heretohelp.bc.ca. The website also features detailed information on substances and mental health disorders.
You can also find information on a wide variety of substance use issues on the Centre for Addictions Research of BC website: www.carbc.ca
