Benzodiazepines

What are benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepine Drug Names

Current Trends and Statistics (2017)

• • 3% of 16 year olds misuse benzodiazepines

    • 6.9% of 16 year olds use benzodiazepines

  • 4.3% of 17 year olds misuse benzodiazepines

    • 7.7% of 17 year olds use benzodiazepines

  • 4.1% of 18 year olds misunse benzodiazepines

    • 8.5% of 18 year olds use benzodiazepines

  • No difference in misuse between males vs. females

  • Highest misuse among whites and hispanics

Social Impact

• • More than 90% of people with a substance abuse problem began using drugs, smoking, or drinking before age 18

  • Abusing benzodiazepines in high school puts students at a higher risk of substance abuse problems in their future

  • The more students who abuse benzodiazepines, the stronger the peer pressure is for other students to abuse benzodiazepines

  • Could also decrease their learning of how to cope and development of coping mechanisms

Risk Factors

• • Poor coping skills

  • Stressful environment (school, work, home life)

  • Combining benzodiazepines with alcohol or other drugs

How Teens are Getting Access to Benzodiazepines

• • Valid prescription for themselves from a doctor (single or multiple doctors)

  • Given/purchased/taken from a friend or relative

  • Bought from a “drug dealer” or some other stranger

How benzodiazepines work

GABA is a chemical that reduces the activity in the brain and the central nervous system. Benzodiazepines increase the effect of GABA, thus giving it a "sedating" feel.

Use and Abuse

How People are Using/Abusing Benzodiazepines

Mixing benzodiazepines with other substances can be very dangerous:

• Benzodiazepines are rarely the only cause of death in an overdose situation and is most commonly abused in combination with opioids and alcohol.

• Taking in combination with opioids and alcohol increases the risk of respiratory depression.

• A study in North Carolina found that prescribing both resulted in a 10 times higher overdose death rate than those only receiving opioids.

Benzodiazepine usage:

• Increases with age

• Is twice as more common in women than men

• Is normally co-prescribed with opioids

Abuse normally occurs from:

• Deliberate or recreational abuse with intention of getting high

• Unintentional abuse that later develops into inappropriate use

How to Detect Abuse and Overdose

Effects are established within an hour of use and continue for up to 6 hours

Because benzodiazepines are sedatives, there is a risk of automobile or machinery accidents due to decreased alertness and response time

Tolerance builds quickly, leading to more frequent and larger use

Signs of abuse:

• • Drowsiness

  • Light-headedness

  • Sleeping for extended periods of time

  • Dry mouth

  • Missing school or work

  • Poor judgement or thinking

  • Mood changes

  • Risk-taking behavior

Signs of addiction:

• • Manic type moods

  • Memory issues

  • Loss of interest in normal daily activities

  • Avoiding tasks that require longer attention periods

  • Financial problems

Symptoms of overdose:

• CNS depression

  • Physical weakness

  • Dizziness

  • Disorientation

  • Hallucinations

  • Slurred speech

• Respiratory depression

  • Common when taken with other drugs/substances

  • Can also occur with a large ingestion of benzodiazepines

• Normal vital signs

  • Patient is usually still awake and able to talk

Safety Concerns

Long-Term Effects of Abusing Benzodiazepines

• Anorexia

• Headaches

• Memory problems

• Insomnia

• Tolerance build up

• Life-threatening withdrawal