How Does Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Kill You?

Benzodiazepines (also known as “benzos” and “downers”) are sedatives commonly prescribed to treat insomnia, anxiety, and other conditions. They work by slowing down the central nervous system and decreasing brain activity. The effects typically last between 6 hours to over 24 hours. Benzodiazepines are also produced and distributed illicitly.

Prescription benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and clonazepam (Klonopin), and illicit benzodiazepines include etizolam, flualprazolam, and flubromazolam. It is important to use benzodiazepines only in the amount, frequency, and manner prescribed by a doctor.

Benzodiazepines may cause a variety of adverse reactions:

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms

The benzo withdrawal symptoms will vary dispending on how the detox process is conducted. In a professional detox center where the client is weaned off properly, symptoms can occur, including feeling sleepy and depressed, as well as sweating and chills.

How does benzodiazepine withdrawal kill you? In an unmanaged situation, benzodiazepine withdrawal becomes much more severe. When an individual stops cold turkey, the following symptoms may present:

• Insomnia
• Depression
• Sweating
• Tremors
• Muscle Cramps
• Seizures

Rebound Symptoms

In addition to withdrawal symptoms, benzo detox most commonly brings rebound symptoms. Rebound symptoms are the return of symptoms that may have been present at the start of taking the medication, and the symptoms may be heightened for a few days. This may include insomnia, anxiety, and stress. As the body regulates through detox, these symptoms will likely subside or reduce.

Factors that Influence Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Length & Severity

Physiological dependence on benzodiazepines is accompanied by a withdrawal syndrome which is typically characterized by sleep disturbance, irritability, increased tension and anxiety, panic attacks, hand tremor, sweating, difficulty in concentration, dry-wretching and nausea, some weight loss, palpitations, headache, muscular pain and stiffness and a host of perceptual changes. Is benzodiazepine withdrawal fatal? Instances are also reported within the high-dosage category of more serious developments such as seizures and benzodiazepine withdrawal psychosis.

Withdrawal from regular dosage benzodiazepine treatment can result in several symptomatic patterns. The most common is a short-lived “rebound” anxiety and insomnia, coming on within 1-4 days of discontinuation, depending on the half-life of the particular drug. The second pattern is the full-blown withdrawal syndrome, usually lasting 10-14 days; finally, a third pattern may represent the return of anxiety symptoms that persist until some form of treatment is instituted. [4]

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Timeline

Like detoxing from other prescription drugs, benzo withdrawal timelines can differ from case to case. For someone using short-acting benzos, withdrawal symptoms may begin to present themselves in as little as 6 to 8 hours. If a longer-acting benzodiazepine was used, it could be 24 to 48 hours before symptoms are observed. Withdrawal symptoms typically last about four days. Rebound symptoms may last about 2-3 days from when they begin.

You may also experience PAWS. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS, is the condition of continuing to experience drug withdrawal symptoms—for weeks, months, or years—even though you’ve completed a drug addiction treatment program and are no longer “using.” Other names for post-acute withdrawal syndrome include post-withdrawal syndrome, prolonged withdrawal syndrome, and protracted withdrawal syndrome.

In general, the symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome are similar to the symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders. They may range from mild to severe in a single individual; they may also go away entirely for some time and then reappear. [5] Some of the most common symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome include:

• Problems with thinking (cognitive) tasks, such as problem-solving, learning, or memory recall
• Irritability
• Anxiety or panic
• Depression

Less often, a person may experience:

• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors
• Problems with social relationships
• Cravings for the addictive drug they used
• Pessimism or lack of interest (apathy)
• Sleep disturbances
• Increased sensitivity to stress

Stress can make any of these symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome worse, but this can also happen without apparent cause.

How Does Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Kill You? & Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Seizure Risk

What can cause benzodiazepine withdrawal seizure risk? Patients who have been taking a benzodiazepine for weeks or months should not suddenly stop taking your benzodiazepine without first discussing a plan for gradually getting off the medicine with your health care professional. Stopping benzodiazepines abruptly or reducing the dosage too quickly can result in serious withdrawal reactions, including seizures, which can be life-threatening.

Contact your health care professional if you experience withdrawal symptoms or your medical condition worsens. Go to an emergency room or call 911 if you have trouble breathing or other serious side effects like seizures.

How Can Benzo Withdrawal Kill You? Is Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Fatal?

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms vary from mild anxiety to life-threatening delirium or seizures. In susceptible individuals, such as those with mood disorders, benzodiazepine withdrawal may also precipitate catatonia. If not immediately recognized and treated, catatonia and delirium can lead to significant morbidity or mortality.

Can You Die from Benzodiazepine Withdrawal?

Yes. Benzo addiction can have social and psychological effects on those who struggle with it. Some may find these effects to be the most significant difficulty they face. For others, it is the physical effects that are the scariest. When one stops taking benzodiazepines without tapering off, severe symptoms such as tremors, seizures, and even death can occur. For this reason, professional treatment at a medical detox facility is critical. 

Contact your health care professional if you experience more severe withdrawal symptoms, such as:

• Catatonia (unable to speak, rigid body, repetitive and meaningless movements)
• Seizures
• Delirium tremens (shaking, shivering, benzodiazepines cardiac side effects, sweating)
• Depression
• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not see or hear)
• Thoughts about killing yourself or someone else
• Mania (euphoria, delusions, overactivity)
• Psychosis (false beliefs)

If you’re experiencing overdose symptoms from benzodiazepine, it’s essential to seek help as soon as possible. Benzodiazepine overdose should be treated in a hospital, so it’s important to contact emergency services immediately. This could mean the difference between life and death for you or your loved one.

How does benzodiazepine withdrawal kill you? The most significant risk of using benzodiazepines and a reason to get into a benzo addiction treatment program is that of potentially overdosing. With a propensity for developing a tolerance, the longer someone takes benzodiazepines, the greater dosage they will likely need to take to achieve the desired effect, and the greater the risk of overdosing. A sedative, benzos cause breathing to slow. In turn, less oxygen is directed through the lungs to the brain and the rest of the body. When a dose too great is taken, breathing slows to the point of being fatal.

If you notice the following signs in your loved one, they may have overdosed on benzos:

Detox Benzodiazepines Safely

Professional treatment at a medical detox facility is critical to avoid life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Once the benzo detoxification process has been safely completed, an individualized treatment plan is developed. During treatment, individuals who have struggled with benzo addiction will learn skills and tools to help them stay off of these drugs and lead a better life.

Benzodiazepine Detox Treatment Near Me

Searched for “Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Cause Death & “Benzodiazepine Detox Near Me?”

Can you die from benzo withdrawal symptoms? Benzodiazepine-related problems include diversion, misuse, dependency, driving impairment, and morbidity and mortality related to overdose and withdrawal. In older patients, they have been associated with cognitive decline, dementia, and falls. There is evidence of increased mortality with long-term use.

Inpatient drug rehab center programs usually begin with detoxification (detox) in a medically supervised detox program. These provide professional support and medical monitoring while the client flushes harmful toxins from their body gained during substance abuse. Detox is the initial, physical part of treatment. Once this stage is complete, clients often move to the next level of care. [7]

Inpatient rehab center programs require clients to live onsite at the facility for the duration of treatment. Each day clients are required to attend counseling, therapy, classes, and different types of treatments every day for the majority of the day.

Inpatient Medication-Assisted Treatment

We Level Up treatment center can help with inpatient therapy programs exclusively. Because each client is different and requires unique, comprehensive care according to their situation, our staff of well-trained physicians and nurses first begin the client relationship with a detailed one-on-one assessment.

Searched for “Can You Die From Benzodiazepine Withdrawal?” or “Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Seizure Risk?”

Increasing awareness of high-risk situations and warning signs and developing avoidance strategies and coping skills for handling those situations is an important part of treatment known as relapse prevention. Knowing what to do should relapse occur is equally important to ensure long-term recovery success.

Our FREE 24-hour Hotline can help you with the resources for questions such as How does benzodiazepine withdrawal kill you? Get a free consultation for your best-fitting treatment programs and free rehab insurance verification. Call We Level Up today and speak with one of our addiction specialists to check your rehab insurance coverage and benefits.

We Level Up addiction counselors will discuss the average cost of the program based on the personalized treatment that works best for you.