Glad to see this article. When Valium came out in the 60s, the Stones referred to it as "Mother's little helper." Benzos have done more damage than alcohol and with some people the withdrawal takes years.

Over 30 million Americans a year use benzodiazepines, or “benzos,” including Xanax, Valium, Ativan and Klonopin.

Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia, muscle spasms, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, seizures and epilepsy.

But this widely used class of drugs is linked to severe side effects and life impacts that can last for years — even after people have stopped taking the drugs — a new study finds.

“Patients have been reporting long-term effects from benzodiazepines for over 60 years. I am one of those patients,” Dr. Christy Huff, a cardiologist and co-author of the study, said in a news release.

Huff, who is co-director of a patient advocacy group, Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, noted that she took the medication as prescribed and has not taken any benzodiazepines in four years, yet still experiences symptoms daily.

“My life is quite frankly a living hell,” Huff wrote in a 2016 statement on the group’s website.

“The only thing that has kept me going is the fact that I have a husband and 5-year-old daughter,” she added. “Honestly this is probably the only reason I have not ended my life.”

Benzodiazepines side effects

The new research, published in PLOS One, includes a lengthy list of side effects that a majority of benzo users experienced more than a year after they stopped taking the drugs.

Those long-lasting symptoms include low energy, difficulty focusing, memory loss, anxiety, insomnia, sensitivity to light and sounds, digestive problems, symptoms triggered by food and drink, muscle weakness and body pain.

Alarmingly, users also struggled with severe life impacts: 54.7% reported suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts, for example.

Suicide and suicidal thoughts are a common and long-lasting side effect of benzodiazepines.
Getty Images
Other negative life impacts included being fired or loss of employment, marriage and relationship problems, lower income or loss of income, increased medical costs and violent thoughts or actions.

“This should change how we think about benzodiazepines and how they are prescribed,” Dr. Alexis Ritvo, assistant professor of psychiatry at University of Colorado Medicine, said in the news release.

The researchers surveyed 1,207 people who were still using benzodiazepines, were reducing their dosage of benzos (“tapering off”) or had completely stopped taking the drugs.

Several members of the research team — which included experts from the University of Colorado and Vanderbilt University Medical Center — have personal experience with benzodiazepines, which helped guide the survey questions.

Stuck in a BIND
The researchers have coined the term BIND, or benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction, to describe the long-lasting effects of benzo use.

Though BIND is a new term and the condition is not yet well-defined or universally accepted by doctors, the study authors believe it could be a result of brain changes resulting from benzodiazepine use.

BIND could occur in roughly one in five long-term users of benzodiazepines. The risk factors for BIND are not yet understood, and more research is needed to define the condition and treatment options, according to the news release.
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs that act as central nervous system depressants by slowing brain activity. They produce sedation and hypnosis, reduce seizures and relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Benzodiazepines have been available since the 1960s, when Librium and Valium were introduced. Within a few years, benzos were the most prescribed medications worldwide, according to a 2020 report in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry.
A 2019 study in the journal Psychiatric Services found that 30.6 million US adults used benzos annually. Of those, 17.2% misused the drugs in some way. This could mean taking benzodiazepines without a prescription and/or with opioids — a potentially deadly combination.

Health experts noted numerous other problems with benzos, including an increased risk of suicide and dependence on the drug, among other adverse side effects.
The Food and Drug Administration requires that all benzodiazepines have a “black box warning,” the most serious warning about a drug’s effects on users. In 2020, the FDA updated the black box warning for benzos to include risks of physical dependence, withdrawal reactions, misuse, abuse and addiction.

People who use benzos for more than 3 or 4 weeks can be at risk for developing an addiction, according to the National Center for Health Research.

And when patients stop taking benzodiazepines, they should gradually taper down their usage by reducing the dose before discontinuing completely, the FDA advises.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal
Withdrawal from benzos can produce troubling symptoms as soon as within 24 hours, and these adverse effects can last for months.

Symptoms of benzo withdrawal include anxiety, panic, insomnia, muscle spasms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, seizures, hallucinations, memory loss, trouble concentrating, clouded thinking, mood swings, agitation, drug cravings, twitching and loss of appetite.

And suicidal thoughts and actions often occur during withdrawal from a benzodiazepine. About 10% of people who abuse benzos continue to have withdrawal symptoms years after stopping, according to American Addiction Centers

Patient advocates like Ritvo and Huff hope that their survey report will help health care providers and the general public understand the long-term risks of benzo use.

“Despite the fact that benzodiazepines have been widely prescribed for decades, this survey presents significant new evidence that a subset of patients experience long-term neurological complications,” said Ritvo.

Huff added, “Our survey and the new term BIND give a voice to the patient experience and point to the need for further investigations.”

LINK https://nypost.com/2023/06/30/...-brain-damage-study/

There’s so many people on this stuff it’s insane. My wife asked her Dr. How many women are on them because it seems like most of her friends are on them. Her Dr. Said if she said 80% of of her clientele are on them she would probably be low. That’s insanely sad to be honest.

Thank you for the article.
Now, though, I have a general question about what the study says about drugs in general.

If these drugs have been commonly prescribed for so long to so many people and the side effects affect so many users, were their dangers recognized much sooner than through this study? The “black box” warnings would seem to indicate that they were, but to what effect on restricting their use, especially long term? Do doctors and patients believe the warnings are exaggerated, or is it sort of an “If you want to be safe, stay in bed” attitude and that the benefits are believed to outweigh the risks?

What dangers of other commonly-prescribed medications are similarly ignored or not recognized because of the lack of comparable studies?

Denial plays role. My doctor is prescribing it so it must be ok. Patients browbeat the doctor if he does not prescribe. How long before we put on some serious restrictions on tobacco? These drugs act directly on the brain. Unless you are taking benzos to get high they seem harmless. Then you try to stop and find out you cannot. BTW seizures are possible 28 days after stopping. Withdrawal symptoms oftan last a year.
If the DEA got involved you would see a drop in usage just like Oxycocodone. Ignoring black box warnings is common and for the most part the patient knows nothing about the warning.

Thanks for your explanations.
Given human nature, not surprising, I suppose.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
There’s so many people on this stuff it’s insane. My wife asked her Dr. How many women are on them because it seems like most of her friends are on them. Her Dr. Said if she said 80% of of her clientele are on them she would probably be low. That’s insanely sad to be honest.

I seriously doubt that 80% are on benzodiazepines. That would draw some serious attention from “The Man”

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
I seriously doubt that 80% are on benzodiazepines. That would draw some serious attention from “The Man”

“The Man” gets campaign donations from Big Pharma. I believe his doctor.

quote:

seriously doubt that 80% are on benzodiazepines. That would draw some serious attention from “The Man

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Some docs will not prescribe Benzos. However there is a Doctor Feel Good in every town that has EVERY patient on Benzos. The DEA is not particularly interested chasing Fentanyl and such. They are after the cartels and opiates. When did you last see the DEA chase Benzos?

Do you believe the study or the doctor. The math is fuzzy.

One of my Gfs was on Valium. For all her adult life. She referred to them as her happy pills. It seemed excessive to me but I did not really know enough about the drug or her decision to us it to question anything.

Any idea what the average daily dosage of users is?

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:
Any idea what the average daily dosage of users is?

There's a huge range.

With that said, these days, most docs do not consider benzodiazepines to be long-term take-every-day drugs.

They are generally prescribed either for occasional severe symptoms (e.g., someone who has awful panic attacks a few times a month) or for short-term use when someone is in crisis until therapy and safer but slower-acting medications can begin working.

Every medical professional that prescribes psych meds knows that benzodiazepines are addictive, that people quickly develop a tolerance, that there's a significant overdose risk, and that stopping them after regular use can cause awful withdrawal symptoms. In some cases, they are still worth those risks, but they definitely shouldn't be handed out like tic-tacs.

I've said for decades that benzos (and bzd-like drugs like Ambien) semipermanently rewire the brain. None of that article surprises me one bit.

Study a medication prescribed to people with anxiety disorders, and be shocked when that same population suffers from anxiety and depression when they are not taking the drug? Shocking.

For all we know about brain chemistry, we still don’t know shit. Throw in drugs that monkey with brain chemistry and the likelihood of bizarre or dangerous side effects is quite high.

I think they can be very useful, for short-term use.

(Coping with the death of a spouse, etc)

I’ve seen that help people get through that kind of acute stress.

For people who need it long-term…. I’d really like to see something on their hormone levels, vitamin levels and mineral levels.

Does it restore a brain missing something to normal, or does it cause an altered state?

quote:

Originally posted by barndg00:
Study a medication prescribed to people with anxiety disorders, and be shocked when that same population suffers from anxiety and depression when they are not taking the drug? Shocking.

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking while reading. Causation/correlation.