Nowadays, studies in mental health have advanced very quickly, psychiatry allows offering therapies and treatment adjusted to the demands and psychological needs of each person. In some cases, medicine administers psychotropic drugs to curb the symptoms of a mental disorder, whether they are obsessive thoughts, feelings of nervousness, suicidal tendencies... there is a wide range of drugs aimed at psychiatry, among the most famous, we can highlight the Diazepam.
What is and how does Diazepam work? This medicine from the benzodiazepine family has a known sedative and anxiolytic effect that slows down the symptoms of anxiety. It is also often prescribed for phobias, social anxiety, and sleep disorders. If you want to know more about the Diazepam and their long-term side effects, we recommend you read the following Psychology-Online article.
Index
- Effects of benzodiazepines on the body
- Diazepam: Package Leaflet Information
- Long-term side effects of diazepam
- How to get rid of Diazepam
- Other questions about Diazepam and other benzodiazepines
Effects of benzodiazepines in the body.
As we have commented previously, Diazepam is a psychotropic drug1 of the benzodiazepine family, such as Lorazepam and the Orfidal. These types of medications are defined by their relaxing and even hypnotic effects. Like their predecessors (barbiturates), benzodiazepines act on our brain in a quite powerful way, depressing and inhibiting transmitters of the nervous system. This mechanism produces the following effects in our body:
- Mental and muscular relaxation
- Sedative effects and difficulties in focusing attention
- Psychological anesthesia
- Physical tiredness
- Dizziness and trouble keeping your balance
- Feeling sleepy
- General feeling of calm
Long-term effects of benzodiazepines
Although the general intention of psychiatric medicine is to calm the symptoms of an illness, the use Continued use of some drugs such as Diazepam or other benzodiazepines can cause the following side effects at long term:
- Difficulty maintaining sustained attention and concentrating
- Memory loss
- Cognitive decline in the elderly (worsening of dementia)
- Dependence anxiety disorder (benzodiazepine addiction)
- Increase in suicide risk
- Brain malformation in babies exposed to these types of drugs before birth (if the mother took them during pregnancy)
Diazepam: Information in the leaflet.
Diazepam acts in a generalized way, producing a feeling of relaxation throughout the body and mind, Like all the medicines in its family, Diazepam has serious long-term side effects. term. According to the leaflet of this drug, we find the following:
Common side effects
In the short term, the use of Diazepam can cause the following side effects:
- Sleepiness
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Dry mouth
- Diarrhea and stomach upset in general
- Sudden lack or increase in appetite
- Low blood pressure and dizziness
Dangerous symptoms of Diazepam
If you take Diazepam and have any of these symptoms, it is important that you see your doctor immediately so that your dose can be changed or the drug withdrawn.
- Convulsive crisis
- Trouble breathing
- Distorted or blurred vision
- Yellowing of the skin or around the iris of the eyes
- Skin rash (rashes)
- Fever
- Acute confusional syndrome
Benzodiazepines and alcohol
As we have observed, the abuse of these drugs is dangerous and can cause a multitude of problems in our body. What can happen if we mix benzodiazepines with alcohol?
The combination of Diazepam with alcohol is very dangerous. If we mix the sedative effect with the deshinibition and confusion of alcohol we can experience blackouts, loss of will, difficulties to move... it can even become a deadly cocktailThis is because the depressant effect of both substances in the brain adds up and can cause cardiorespiratory arrest.
From the Psychology-Online team we advise you: if you are taking Diazepam or other anxiolytics, it will be better to stop alcohol during the treatment period.
Long-term side effects of diazepam.
We have discussed the short-term side effects, however what are the long-term side effects of Diazepam? If the changes that are generated in our body are neurological in nature, we understand that the problems that the prolonged use of Diazepam can present will also be of this nature. Among the main complications, we highlight the following effects:
1. Rebound insomnia
Although one of its main effects is sedation and muscle relaxation, prolonged use of this drug can produce the paradoxical "rebound insomnia". This effect is transitory in nature and is defined as the reappearance of symptoms of nervousness and anxiety, only this time more pronounced.
2. Brain damage
Although the studies are not definitive, there is a high correlation between the prolonged use of high doses of Diazepam and damage to brain structures, this damage is quite similar to that of people with alcoholism. In addition, this deterioration of a structural nature is permanent and irreparable.
3. Addiction
One of the best known and counterproductive effects of Diazepam is the dependence it generates, both to the sedative effects and to the substance itself. Once the medication is withdrawn, we can feel as if we are going through withdrawal syndrome. This side effect is due to the fact that the administration of the psychotropic drug produces changes in the levels of neurotransmitters and our brain gets used to functioning low. the effects of Diazepam.
4. Immune system disorders
The uncontrolled and / or chronic use of benzodiazepines has also been related to negative effects on the immune system, there are studies that show us that if we take Diazepam for a long time, we can be more vulnerable to developing diseases physiological. For example, a high level of correlation has been found between high doses of Diazepam and pneumonia2.
How to get rid of Diazepam.
First of all, if we have not started taking this drug, it is important that we reflect on whether or not we really need it. Although it is effective in its mission and stops anxiety symptoms, its side effects are something that we must take into account before starting a treatment with benzodiazepines.
In the case of already presenting an addiction to this drug, withdrawal will have to be scheduled by a psychiatrist or specialist doctor. In this way, an attempt will be made to minimize the damage and the withdrawal syndrome.
Psychological treatment can be very useful in these cases, if we have mental tools that facilitate the withdrawal of Diazepam, we will not experience such pronounced adverse symptoms. In this case, the psychological therapy will be oriented to teach relaxation techniques and emotional management to control the symptoms of anxiety that the withdrawal syndrome gives us.
Other questions about Diazepam and other benzodiazepines.
If you liked this article about Diazepam and its long-term side effects, we recommend that you take note of some questions that may arise if you are going to start a treatment with any of these medicines:
- What long-term side effects does Lorazepam have? Also known as Orfidal, this drug has the following side effects: drowsiness, tiredness, dizziness, upset stomach... If you want to know more, you can consult this article about the Lorazepam: what is it for, dosage and side effects.
- How long does Diazepam take to work and how long do its effects last? The effects are quickly noticed by the body and usually last between 6 and 8 hours.
- What dosage should I buy? They are usually given in doses of 5, 10, or 20 mg. However, if you want to start treatment with this type of psychotropic drug, you should go to a psychiatrist to write you a prescription.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Diazepam: long-term side effects, we recommend that you enter our category of Psychopharmaceuticals.
References
- A drug or medication that affects the functioning of neurons and modulates the levels of neurotransmitters.
- Luebke, RW.; Chen, DH.; Dietert, R.; Yang, Y.; King, M.; Luster, MI. "The comparative immunotoxicity of five selected compounds following developmental or adult exposure.". J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 9 (1): 1-26. PMID 16393867.
