Illicit benzodiazepine use is decreasing in Texas overall, and that’s good, but what if you’re among the people who haven’t stopped? What if you have a benzodiazepine use disorder, and you’re ready to quit, but don’t know how? You’ve come to the right place.
To set you up for success, our benzodiazepine recovery program starts with detox. Trying to stop and detox benzodiazepines on your own is painful, and in some cases, dangerous, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Instead, rely on San Antonio Recovery Centers’ benzodiazepine detox program. Our staff is as diverse as San Antonio itself, and we’re all ready to help you find recovery.
Our benzodiazepine detox program focuses on helping your body recover from benzodiazepines by getting them out of your system. We’ll also help you through the withdrawal symptoms that can come with quitting benzodiazepines.
During our benzodiazepine detox program, you’ll receive constant medical supervision and care to ensure the detoxing and withdrawal process passes as comfortably as possible for you. Sometimes withdrawal symptoms from benzodiazepines are severe, but we’ll help you manage those safely, too.
Stopping benzodiazepine use suddenly is dangerous. While in our program, we’ll slowly lower the dose of your benzodiazepine until you’re free from it altogether. This process is called “tapering,” and should never be done without the direction and supervision of a medical professional. The timeline of this process is unique to every person, but we’ll work with you to ensure your specific needs are met. Our team is dedicated to supporting you every step of the way until you’re benzodiazepine-free.
Some withdrawal symptoms during the detox process are inevitable. We’re well-versed in how to deal with them, and we’ll ensure you get through them safely. We’ll be on standby for anything you may need and may use other medication to lessen withdrawal symptoms if it’s appropriate.
Recovering from a benzodiazepine use disorder is about more than just stopping benzodiazepine use. If you want to stay away from benzos for good, we need to treat your whole person. We encourage anyone in our benzodiazepine detox to continue to our residential treatment program to do just that. Your mental health is a huge component of your recovery, and we address it through various evidence-based and holistic therapies during our benzodiazepine addiction treatment. We will get to the root cause of your benzodiazepine use disorder so you can heal for good.
Rebound anxiety and insomnia is when you stop taking benzodiazepines and your anxiety and insomnia feel even worse than they did before you started taking them. Why does this happen?
Benzodiazepines bind to GABA receptors in your brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter that helps slow down your brain and nervous system, and in the process, helps with sleep and anxiety. Benzodiazepines boost GABA activity, but your brain also gets used to the extra help quickly. When you stop taking benzodiazepines, the GABA receptors in your brain don’t know what to do without it. They may function even less effectively than they did before benzodiazepine use, at least until you safely go through the withdrawal process.
How intense and how long withdrawal is depends on the type of benzodiazepine you take, how long you take it, and how much you take of it.
Those using short-acting benzos, such as Xanax, will experience withdrawal symptoms as soon as 10 hours after the last dose. They tend to be stronger than withdrawal symptoms that come with long-acting benzos, such as Valium.
In the first few days, you’ll likely experience the “rebound” of the symptoms you were taking the benzodiazepines for in the first place, potentially even more strongly than you did before treating them. You’ll experience the most withdrawal symptoms a few days in. This is called acute withdrawal, and it can last weeks to months. About 10% of those taking benzodiazepines experience withdrawal symptoms for months, sometimes even years, after stopping.
While these may be scary possibilities, it’s important to remember that safe, medical benzodiazepine detox greatly reduces the intensity and duration of withdrawal symptoms. You’re most likely to experience severe, extended withdrawal if you try to stop benzodiazepine use on your own, especially suddenly.
Benzodiazepine detox is the first step in recovering from a benzodiazepine use disorder. It’s not an easy step to take, but it will empower you to take your life back and turn it into whatever you want.
At San Antonio Recovery Center, we’re dedicated to providing you with quality, attentive care. That’s why we have a 1:8 therapist-to-patient ratio, and why our OP director spends time with patients personally. We’re ready to help you overcome your benzodiazepine use disorder. Start your recovery journey with us by calling 866-957-7885 today.
contact us now!
