Benzodiazepine Detox for Austin Residents

Where Austin Residents Turn for Benzodiazepine Detox

Benzo withdrawal is what happens after your body develops a tolerance to benzos after taking them over a long period of time (even at prescription doses sometimes), or if you binge them recreationally. As the tolerance becomes stronger, you end up needing to take higher doses to get the same effect and are not able to feel normal without them. If you think you may have an addiction to a benzodiazepine drug (benzo), it may be in your best interest to seek professional help at an addiction treatment center.

Residents of Austin, Texas can contact Resurgence to get help for benzodiazepine addiction. We offer programs like medical drug detox services, rehabilitation programs, and aftercare. We see each of our patients as unique individuals who deserve respect and quality care, and we will help you to become the best possible version of yourself.

What are Benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines are medications from the tranquilizer family that has been synthesized to create a “quietening” effect on certain parts of the brain, producing a calm and sedating feeling. They work by increasing the GABA neurotransmitters in the brain while depressing the nervous system simultaneously.

These medications are usually prescribed in tablet form, to be swallowed or dissolved under the tongue. They are formulated to help treat stress, panic disorders, anxiety, agoraphobia, depression, insomnia, and alcohol withdrawal, and are also used in certain medical procedures to relax muscles, induce amnesia for uncomfortable procedures, and as an anesthetic before surgery. When used for a period of time, these medications can cause your body to develop a dependency on them, as the brain stops producing GABA on its own when the benzos are not present. This effect is multiplied if the medications are being abused, or used alongside other drugs.

Some of the most common benzodiazepines prescribed include:

Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Addiction

Some major signs and symptoms of benzo addiction include:

If you can see yourself in these signs and symptoms, you may require professional help to detox and rehabilitate so you will be able to quit using benzos for the long term. At Resurgence, we can help you take back control over your life through an integrated combination of medical detox, physical rehab, education, counseling, group therapy, and individual therapy sessions.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms

The most common effects of quitting benzodiazepines are often called “rebound” symptoms because many of them are reminiscent of the anxiety, depression, or stress symptoms you were taking them for in the beginning. Rebound effects typically last 2 to 3 days.

Withdrawal symptoms are different than rebound effects. They are painful or uncomfortable symptoms caused by the body as it struggles to recalibrate without the benzodiazepines in your system. Withdrawal symptoms will usually show up in one to four days after discontinuing benzo use, depending on which drug you were taking, the amount, and the frequency of use. These symptoms include:

These symptoms typically last for up to ten days, although everybody has a unique timeline due to variables like body chemistry, drug history, and genetics. There are also less common side effects to quitting benzodiazepines, especially in cases of severe addiction, that may include:

In cases of mild addictions, it may take as little as seven days to overcome withdrawal symptoms. Other cases can take two to three months as you slowly taper off the drug to prevent life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Benzodiazepine detox is an important step in your recovery process and can be done safely through a medical detox program. At Resurgence, our Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) program will help you get through your detox without needlessly suffering.

How Long Does it Take to Detox From Benzodiazepines?

The timeline of a benzodiazepine detox varies because every user is different. Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms are unpredictable and often come and go. They may fluctuate in severity and frequency throughout the withdrawal process. Most people must taper their benzo use down over several weeks, and there are other factors like:

A general timeline for benzo withdrawal symptoms looks like this:

Within 6-8 hours: you will notice the first symptoms of withdrawal, especially if detoxing from shorter-acting benzo. This will likely feel like anxiety and/or insomnia.

Days 1-4: Rebound symptoms will peak around this time. Your anxiety and insomnia will make you feel very uncomfortable, and you will experience increased heart rate and breathing, sweating, and nausea. Longer-acting benzo withdrawal symptoms will begin to show up.

Days 10-14: Withdrawal symptoms will continue for the next couple of weeks, peaking within this timeframe. This is generally the minimum amount of time it takes to detox from benzos, with most people’s symptoms lasting longer than 14 days.

After two weeks: Your withdrawal symptoms will decrease as time goes on and you will begin to feel a bit better each day. 

Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) and Benzodiazepines

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is a commonly seen phenomenon that occurs in those with severe benzodiazepine addictions and presents as withdrawal symptoms that continue to occur for six months or longer after stopping the use of benzos.

The symptoms of PAWS include:

Drug cravings and other psychiatric symptoms can also return or remain present for weeks to months after detox. A long-term inpatient to an outpatient rehabilitation program after detoxing is recommended to many people addicted to benzodiazepines so that you can remain in close contact with a supportive and sober community for as long as you need. Our professional team of therapists, counselors, and medical practitioners will give you coping strategies, monitor your progress, and will be there for you when times get tough.

What Happens in Medical Detox for Benzodiazepines

Quitting benzos can be dangerous and even become deadly if unsupervised by medical professionals due to the possibility of seizures and suicidal behavior. Medically assisted drug detox, combined with therapy and rehab, is the safest and most effective means of quitting benzodiazepines and staying off them for good.

When you enter a Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) program at Resurgence, you will check in to our facility and live there for the entirety of your detox. We will screen you for mental and physical health issues to find out your level of addiction, and to see if there are co-occurring conditions that we need to treat using a dual diagnosis. We will also interview you to find out more about you as a person.

During your detox program, you will have 24-7 medical care available to you in case it is needed. Your progress will be monitored by our clinical staff, and we will also introduce therapy and counseling early in this program so that you can begin to gain coping tools and deal with underlying trauma and emotions that may come up. Dual diagnosis treatments are given to help deal with co-occurring mental health issues. Addiction and mental illness are usually intertwined, so treating them together will end the cycle and lead to a more effective long-term solution. 

Medical detox also includes FDA-approved medications that can be provided to you to help you through the physical discomfort of withdrawal, making it more bearable, which in turn reduces your chances of relapsing into addiction.

Tapering off Benzodiazepines

When you stop taking benzodiazepines, your body will produce physically and emotionally painful withdrawal symptoms that can escalate to become life-threatening if you quit cold turkey, especially if you are someone who has a history of taking higher doses or using the benzo over a long period of time.

A slow taper off of benzodiazepines is the safest method of quitting. You will slowly reduce the amount of the drug you are taking into your body, so it has time to slowly adjust to the benzo being out of your system. In some cases, you may also be prescribed a less-potent benzodiazepine, like Klonopin or Valium. These are long-acting drugs that will keep withdrawal symptoms away while you reduce your dose.

Medications Used in Benzodiazepine Detox

Along with using less-potent benzos to help taper down your drug use, some of the most common medications used in a benzodiazepine drug detox include:

Buspirone – this is a medication that can help relieve the emotional effects of withdrawal without creating a new addiction. It takes 2-3 weeks to take effect, so is usually provided while a patient is tapering off of the benzos.

Flumazenil – although usually used to treat benzo overdose, this medication also helps reduce withdrawal symptoms by attaching to the same pleasure centers in the brain as benzos do. This also forces the benzos out of your body, causing a more rapid detox which may or may not be ideal depending on your specific circumstance

Neurontin or other anticonvulsants – these may be given to help with high-dosage withdrawal to help prevent seizures

Antidepressants like duloxetine or amitriptyline – are sometimes provided to help with depressive symptoms as well as chronic pain

What Happens After Benzodiazepine Detox

Although detoxing is important, it is only a short-term solution to addiction treatment. To make a long-term lifestyle change, you will need to change your mindset, your habits and gain new coping skills, all of which you can do in rehab. Types of rehab programs offered at Resurgence include:

Inpatient rehab

At Resurgence, we offer customized inpatient rehab programs for each of our patients. You will receive personalized, targeted treatments, selected to best suit you and treat your addiction. 

The most important benefit inpatient rehab has over outpatient care is that you will be inside a distraction- and temptation-free environment, away from your usual triggers and stresses, so you can fully focus on your own health and recovery.

One of the most effective benzo treatments is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), in which the way you think, your expectations, and your behavior will be influenced, while you gain coping strategies and tools to remain sober once you leave rehab. With support from your peers, a selection of therapy options, and the time and space away from your life to truly focus on yourself, inpatient care can lower your risk of relapsing.

Outpatient rehab

Recommended for anybody exiting an inpatient rehab program, or for those whose addiction is mild, outpatient rehab is a customizable and flexible option for addiction treatment. 

At Resurgence, we offer a Partial Hospitalization Program, a day program in which you will live outside of our facility, but come in during the day, up to six hours a day, seven days a week if you want to, for a full day of programming. 

We also have an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a flexible program that is customized to each patient’s needs. You will live at home (or in a sober home), return to your regular life, and schedule treatments, and attend groups outside of your work or school hours.

Aftercare is available for Austin residents to promote long-term sobriety. We will ensure you receive as much care and support as you need, as you transition back into your normal life as quickly or as slowly as you are comfortable with.

Benzodiazepine Detox and Rehab at Resurgence

For residents of Austin, Texas, Resurgence is the top choice for benzodiazepine detox and rehab. We provide a high level of integrated care, in a continuum that will lead you through intake and detox, to inpatient rehab, and then outpatient and long-term care. We will ensure you are safe as you heal your body and get to the underlying root of your addiction through psychological treatments, counseling, and our other customized programs. Contact us today to learn more about drug detox in Austin, benzo rehab, or MAT detox treatment.

Looking for Benzodiazepine detox for Austin Residents? Call Resurgence Behavioral Health today! #benzodiazepinedetox #resurgencehttps://t.co/qJBF0oVSsa

— Resurgence Behavioral Health (@RBHRecovery) October 29, 2021