Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome-often abbreviated to benzo withdrawal-is the cluster of symptoms which appear when a person who has taken benzodiazepines long term and has developed benzodiazepine dependence stops taking benzodiazepine drug(s) or reduces the dosage too rapidly. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is similar to the alcohol withdrawal syndrome and barbiturate withdrawal syndrome and can in severe cases provoke life threatening withdrawal symptoms such as seizures.Chronic exposure to benzodiazepines causes physical adaptations in the brain to counteract the drug's effects. This is known as a tolerance and physical dependence. When the drug is removed or dosage reduced in an individual physically dependent on benzodiazepines, numerous withdrawal symptoms both physical and psychological may appear and will remain present until the body reverses the physical dependence by making adaptions to the drug-free environment and thus returning the brain to normal function. Generally the higher the dose and the longer a benzodiazepine is used and the more rapidly a benzodiazepine is discontinued then the more likely severe withdrawal symptoms will occur.