Anti-Anxiety Drug Addiction
Anti-Anxiety Medication and Anxiolytics
Anti-anxiety medication includes a number of groups of drugs (including benzodiazepines, barbiturates and antidepressants), many of which, even at a therapeutic level can create increased tolerance leading quickly to physical dependence in users. Such as the case with antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, even if not physically addictive, can create a psychological addiction in users.
The risks with anti-anxiety drugs are twofold. Anti-anxiety drugs used to address genuine anxiety disorders are often prescribed as short-term solutions to manage acute symptoms of anxiety. Unfortunately, even if only prescribed for short-term treatment, resulting addiction is common. Anti-anxiety medication is widely available in the illegal drug trade; once legitimate prescriptions have run out users may seek to purchase more anti-anxiety drugs illegally. Long-term use of these drugs puts the user at risk of significant potential for harm.
Furthermore, significant withdrawal effects are common after continued usage. Withdrawal symptoms can be seen after as little as a few weeks of use.
Withdrawal symptoms include:
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Low blood pressure
- Hallucinations
- Delirium
Whilst carefully prescribed therapeutic doses of anti-anxiety medication can reduce seriously debilitating anxiety related conditions, without careful instruction and close supervision, addiction can develop rapidly, leaving the user to obtain drugs through alternative, illegal means, or face significant unmanageable withdrawal alone.
Secondly, many anti-anxiety drugs are used by recreational users with no diagnosed anxiety disorders as a primary drug or as a drug used to come down from the use of other drugs. The risks in these cases are increased as mixing anti-anxiety drugs, benzodiazepines particularly, with other substances can produce fatal consequences.
Many anti-anxiety drugs have serious and unpredictable side effects that vary with the specific drug. Side effects include:
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Insomnia
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sedation
- Confusion
- Loss of coordination
- Hostility
- Seizures
These side effects can be seriously exacerbated when anti-anxiety drugs are taken without a prescription from a medical professional. Further complications are evident if anti-anxiety drugs are mixed with other substances, particularly alcohol. The difference between an appropriate dose of some anti-anxiety drugs and a dangerous overdose is minimal, especially with barbiturates. For this reason they are not prescribed as often as they were in the past and should be taken with great care. When abused the potential negative consequences related to anti-anxiety drugs are increased dramatically.
Even if used appropriately anti-anxiety drugs carry complications. When anti-anxiety drugs are directly associated with addiction problems the patient should be appropriately treated in an appropriate addiction clinic.
Common anti-anxiety drugs include:
- Benzodiazepines
- Alprazolam (Xanax)
- Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Clorazepate (Tranxene)
- Diazepam (Valium)
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Barbiturates
- Amobarbital (Amytal)
- Butalbital
- Mephobarbital
- Pentobarbital (Nembutal)
- Phenobarbital
- Secobarbital (Seconal)
- Tuinal (combination of amobarbital and secobarbital)
- Other anti-anxiety drugs
- Buspirone
- Hydroxyzine (Atarax)
- Meprobamate (Equanil)
How does an addiction to anti-anxiety drugs develop?
Some people develop physical and psychological addictions to anti-anxiety drugs due to an initial prescription for a specific problem, e.g. general anxiety disorder. In these cases it is extremely important to get the right professional help to detox safely and negate serious withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, it is vital to get professional support to manage the original condition that prompted the use of anti-anxiety drugs. Regardless of how an anti-anxiety drug addiction has developed it is vital to get specialist help in a clinic that can address the physical and psychological affects of anti-anxiety drug abuse and provide the level of support the individual needs to function effectively without using them.
Risks
Taking anti-anxiety drugs, as mentioned previously, can cause a variety of side effects, even when taken at a prescribed dose. The spectrum of side effects is large and ranges from sexual dysfunction to confusion and seizures. Some anti-anxiety drugs also cause unpredictable adverse reactions when taken with other drugs. Additionally, due to the availability of high-dose anti-anxiety drugs it is possible to become reliant on anti-anxiety drugs as mood stabilisers unnecessarily, impacting on sociability and personality.
Getting professional support to address an anti-anxiety drug addiction is life changing and life saving.
