Benzodiazepines basics
Find out all the basics about benzodiazepines in this fact sheet, including what they are, how they work, and how they affect your mental and physical health.
Summary
- Benzodiazepines are generally pharmaceutical drugs that are prescribed by doctors, having brand names such as Valium, Serepax, Mogadon and Temazepam.
- Benzodiazepines are depressants, or ‘minor tranquilisers' and make you feel relaxed, drowsy, lethargic and forgetful.
- Benzodiazepines are addictive.
What are benzodiazepines?
As mentioned above in the summary, Benzodiazepines are generally pharmaceutical drugs that are prescribed by doctors, having brand names such as Valium, Serepax, Mogadon and Temazepam. They are used as sedatives to induce sleep and as anxiolytics to relieve anxiety. Benzodiazepines are also used to treat epilepsy, relax muscles, help people withdraw from alcohol or as an anaesthetic before surgery.
How are benzodiazepines used?
People who use stimulant drugs such as ecstasy and speed/methamphetamine may use benzodiazepines to help them to come down from a 'high'.
Some people use benzodiazepines illegally to become intoxicated. Heroin users sometimes use this class of drug when trying to withdraw from heroin use, when they can’t get heroin or when they wish to increase the effects of heroin.
Benzodiazepines are generally:
- Ingested (swallowed): Most benzodiazepines are used through swallowing pills or tablets.
- Injected: Some people do inject benzodiazepines however this practice is dangerous as it bypasses all of the body’s natural defences by putting the drug straight into the bloodstream. It also increases risk of blood-borne viruses (such as HIV and AIDS) and infections from using dirty equipment.
Classification
Benzodiazepines, also known as ‘minor tranquilisers’, fall under the depressant category of drugs. Benzodiazepines affect the central nervous system, essentially by slowing down its activity.
How do benzodiazepines affect you?
Benzodiazepines tend to make you feel drowsy, lethargic and forgetful. They relieve anxiety and tension and make you feel more calm and relaxed. Effects generally begin after 10 - 15 minutes and last up to 6 hours.
The effects of benzodiazepines vary depending on:
- your size (both height AND weight), smaller people need smaller doses.
- your general health
- the amount taken
- the last time you ate - they are absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream when you haven’t eaten and so will affect you more
- whether you are taking other drugs - mixing drugs is always a bad idea as the effects are unpredictable
- how much of the drug you have taken before – frequent use causes your body to build a tolerance to certain substances.
Following a doctor’s prescription prevents many of the problems associated with taking benzodiazepines. If used without a prescription, the effects tend to be varied and are not always predictable.
As you vary the dose of benzodiazepines, the immediate effects of the drug will change.
In low to moderate doses:
- The immediate effects of low doses include mild impairments in thought processes, memory and coordination, drowsiness, tiredness, dizziness, vertigo and blurred vision.
- Feelings of euphoria, isolation or emotional depression may also occur.
In higher doses:
- Drowsiness, over-sedation and sleep.
Other effects can include:
- confusion
- slurred speech
- poor coordination
- impaired judgement
- difficulty thinking clearly
- loss of memory
- blurred or double vision and/or dizziness
- mood swings and aggressive outbursts.
The symptoms intensify as the dose increases. Feelings of jitteriness and excitability often become evident as the effects of large doses wear off.
Immediate effects of benzodiazopines
The immediate to short-term term effects of benzodiazepines can include:
- reduced appetite
- sleepiness/drowsiness
- constipation
- diarrhoea
- 'the shakes'
- euphoria
- depression
- calmness
- sadness
- nausea
- slowing down of thoughts
- loss of coordination.
When benzodiazepines are injected, the effects can include:
- collapsed veins
- infection, leading to amputation of limbs, damage to organs, stroke and even death
- sharing injecting equipment such as needles and syringes greatly increases the risk of contracting blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV (virus causing AIDS).
Effects from regular benzodiazopines use
The effects from regularly taking benzodiazepines can include:
- sleeping problems, fatigue
- loss of motivation, memory loss, confused thoughts
- depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression
- nausea
- muscle weakness, skin rashes, weight gain, sexual problems, menstrual irregularities, lethargy
- personality and emotional change.
Are benzodiazopines addictive?
Yes. Addiction can be psychological, physical or both after just a few months of using them.
Benzodiazopines and the law
Benzodiazepines can only be obtained legally with a prescription from a medical practitioner. Under the law it is an offence to possess these drugs without a prescription.
It is also against the law to make false representations to obtain a drug or fill a prescription for a drug from an authorised person. Heavy penalties include jail and fines.
This fact sheet was prepared with assistance from the Australian Drug Foundation.
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