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The risks include dependence, accidents and other adverse effects. Gradual discontinuation of hypnotics leads to improved health without worsening of sleep. [49] Daily users of benzodiazepines are also at a higher risk of experiencing psychotic symptomatology such as delusions and hallucinations. [50]
In a Swedish (2003) study benzodiazepines were implicated in 39% of suicides by drug poisoning in the elderly 1992–1996. Nitrazepam and flunitrazepam accounted for 90% of benzodiazepine implicated suicides. In cases where benzodiazepines contributed to death, but were not the sole cause, drowning, typically in the bath, was a common method used.
The central nervous system-depressant effects of benzodiazepines may make driving or operating machinery dangerous, and the elderly are more prone to these adverse effects. High single doses or repeated low doses have been reported to produce hypotonia , poor sucking, and hypothermia in the neonate , and irregularities in the fetal heart.
Benzodiazepines are not intended for long-term use because of the potential for addiction. So, after a few weeks, your healthcare provider will likely wean you off of any benzodiazepines.
Benzodiazepines potentiate the action of GABA, [54] by binding a site between the α and γ subunits of the 5-subunit receptor [55] thereby increasing the frequency of the GABA-gated chloride channel opening in the presence of GABA. [56] When potentiation is sustained by long-term use, neuroadaptations occur which result in decreased GABAergic ...
All meds have a risk of withdrawal symptoms, but some are more about dependency (like benzodiazepines, for example) and others are more about your brain adjusting, Dr. Goldberg says.
Older adults should not use benzodiazepines to treat insomnia unless other treatments have failed. [48] When benzodiazepines are used, patients, their caretakers, and their physician should discuss the increased risk of harms, including evidence that shows twice the incidence of traffic collisions among driving patients, and falls and hip ...
Benzodiazepines typically start working very quickly — their anti-anxiety effects may come on in less than an hour. They work so well (short-term) that many people don’t want to stop taking them.