2023-06-30 13:00:00
In France, the consumption of benzodiazepines is constantly increasing. As a reminder, these drugs are prescribed to relieve anxiety, stress or insomnia. Recently, researchers from the University of Colorado revealed that the use of these anxiolytics had negative consequences on the brain and daily life of users, even after stopping treatment.
Benzodiazepines: 10 Persistent Symptoms After Stopping Treatment
In one study, scientists analyzed data from a survey of 1,207 benzodiazepine users, which asked them about their symptoms and adverse effects on their lives attributed to benzodiazepine use. Respondents were either still taking benzodiazepines (63.2%), were in the process of weaning (24.4%) or had completely stopped taking benzodiazepines (11.3%). Almost all of the adults surveyed had a prescription for benzodiazepines (98.6%) and 91% of them took them according to their prescription.
According to the results, the use and discontinuation of these drugs were associated with nervous system damage and negative effects on life that continue after discontinuation of treatment. The symptoms reported by the participants lasted a long time. For 76.6% of patients, the symptoms lasted several months or more than a year. In more than half of the respondents, the following ten symptoms persisted for more than a year: lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, anxiety, insomnia, sensitivity to light and sounds, digestive problems, food and drink-triggered symptoms, muscle weakness and body aches.
A deterioration of social relations caused by the consumption of benzodiazepines
In addition, the majority of respondents reported long-lasting negative effects on their lives, such as severely degraded social relationships, job loss, and increased medical costs. The authors noted that 54.4% of adults surveyed said they had had suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide.
“The term ‘benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction’ has been proposed to describe the symptoms and associated negative consequences that may appear during the use of benzodiazepines, the gradual tapering of their use, and continue after cessation of benzodiazepine use. benzodiazepines”, can we read in the works published in the journal Plos One.
“Changing the way we think about and prescribe benzodiazepines”
The team believe that this “benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction” is the result of brain changes resulting from exposure to benzodiazepines. Researchers suggest it occurs in about one in five long-term users. “The risk factors for the phenomenon are not known, and further research is needed to better define this pathology, as well as treatment options. (…) This study should change the way we think about and prescribe benzodiazepines”, said Alexis Ritvo, author of the research, in a statement.
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