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Low to moderate doses of benzodiazepines can relieve mild to moderate anxiety and make you feel relaxed and calm. Higher doses can relieve insomnia and severe states of emotional distress, and may make you feel drowsy and possibly clumsy. Benzodiazepines can impair the ability to learn and remember new information, as well as interfere with the ability to perform certain physical and mental tasks. Learning, memory and performance return to normal once the effect of the drug has worn off. Side-effects such as confusion, disorientation, amnesia, depression and dizziness may be experienced by some people who take benzodiazepines. Other possible effects, which are extremely rare, include agitation and hallucinations. The way benzodiazepines affect you depends on many factors, including:
How long does the feeling last? When taken by mouth, the effects of benzodiazepines may be felt within 30 to 40 minutes or within two to four hours, depending on the type taken. Most benzodiazepines have effects that are felt for several hours. The time it takes to eliminate these drugs from the body also varies depending on the type taken, and ranges from days to weeks. The benzodiazepines are a family of depressant drugs, discovered in 1957. Benzodiazepams are a class of psychoactive drugs considered minor tranquilizers with varying hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic properties. These drugs act by slowing down the central nervous system [CNS]. Although the drugs first were intended for their anxiety-reducing effects, they are quite often prescribed as muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and sleeping pills. Benzodiazepines act by enhancing the actions of a natural brain chemical, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that carries messages between brain nerve cells through ionotropic (GABA(A)/GABA(C)) and metabotropic (GABA(B)) receptor systems. All benzodiazepines have an addictive potential. Use of benzodiazepines should only commence after medical consultation, and benzodiazepines should be prescribed the smallest dosage possible to provide an acceptable level of symptom relief. Dependence varies with the benzodiazepine used and with the user These minor tranquilizers are very similar to alcohol and barbiturates in their clinical effects. If mixed along with alcohol and barbiturates, benzodiazepines are classified as sedative-hypnotic, meaning that they produce relaxation (sedation) at lower doses and sleep (hypnosis) and eventually coma at higher ones. All of the minor tranquilizers impair mental alertness and physical coordination and can dangerously compromise mechanical performance, such as automobile driving. Dependence is a risk factor. All hypnotic-sedatives, including the minor tranquilizers, are habit-forming and addictive and can produce withdrawal symptoms when they are stopped. In the extreme, the abstinence syndrome can cause life-threatening neurological reactions, including fever, psychosis, and seizures. Less severe withdrawal symptoms include - nausea, increased heart rate and lowered blood pressure; shakiness; loss of appetite; muscle cramps; impairment of memory, concentration, and orientation; abnormal sounds in the ears and blurred vision; and insomnia, agitation, anxiety, panic, and derealization. Obvious withdrawal symptoms typically last two to four weeks. Subtle ones can last months. And certain benzodiazepines — particularly Halcion and Xanax — are being linked to a number of serious side effects, including depression, hallucinations, amnesia, and violence. With the short-acting benzodiazepines withdrawal symptoms appear almost immediately and are difficult from the start. With longer-acting drugs, symptoms build gradually and may not reach a peak for several days. Still, no matter how long they take to arrive, benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms are similar, regardless of the drug involved. Main symptoms include high (even intense) levels of anxiety, insomnia, tension, tremors, and fatigue. The main factor that determines the course of withdrawal is the pattern of use involved. Dependency resulting from short-term, high-dose use follows much the same course as withdrawal from other downer drugs. Symptoms start and peak fast, usually within one to four days, and begin to wind down within two to three weeks. Long-term, low-dose use is more typical for more users, though, and presents a different situation altogether. Symptoms may not be as immediately intense, for example, but may occur for a longer period. DO NOT USE: Do not use If: If you had negative reactions to other benzodiazepine. If you have a history of drug dependence. If you have had a stroke. If you have multiple sclerosis. If you have Alzheimer's disease. If you are seriously depressed. If you have other brain disorders. Detectable After Use Varies with the substance. Valium is detectable for at least 7-10 days. Most others have shorter half-lives. |