Sedatives Addiction: Symptoms, Dependence, Treatment

Most of those who abuse barbiturates will also have experience with other sedatives. It is rare for a patient to develop sedatives addiction to barbiturates alone. Abusers will take a variety of available sedatives to treat the unpleasant effects of illicit stimulants, reduce anxiety, or induce euphoric effects. [2]

What are Benzodiazepines?

The most commonly prescribed sedatives are benzodiazepines, which are similar to alcohol in that they facilitate the inhibitory effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABA-A receptor complex, primarily by binding non-selectively to the benzodiazepine subtype 1 (BZ1) and BZ2 receptors.  Benzodiazepines are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures. In addition to reducing anxiety and inducing sleep, benzodiazepines can cause euphoria and, therefore, are subject to abuse as recreational drugs.

Midazolam (Versed®), a short-acting benzodiazepine is utilized for sedation, anxiety, and amnesia in critical care settings and prior to anesthesia. It is available in the United States as an injectable preparation and as a syrup (primarily for pediatric patients). Benzodiazepines with a longer duration of
action are utilized to treat insomnia in patients with daytime anxiety. These benzodiazepines include:

Many different benzodiazepines are prescribed, with different durations of action, rates of onset, and intensities of euphoria.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a chemical that is made in the brain and is also found in some foods. In the brain, GABA has anti-seizure and anti-anxiety effects. GABA works by blocking brain signals (neurotransmissions).

Z-Drugs (Sleeping Medication)

There are three non-benzodiazepine drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of insomnia:

• Zaleplon (Sonata)
• Zolpidem (Ambien)
• Eszopiclone (Lunesta)

These sedatives are often called “z-drugs.” They are agonists that bind to the same binding site as benzodiazepines at the GABA-A receptor, but they only act on the BZ1 subtype receptor and, thus, are similar to typical benzodiazepines (i.e., diazepam, alprazolam, and others), even though they are more selective receptor subtype agonists. They possess a shorter duration of action and half-life, do not disturb overall sleep architecture, and cause fewer residual effects during daytime hours, making them more clinically attractive than benzodiazepines.

However, adverse effects such as hallucinations and psychosis have been reported, particularly with zolpidem. Increasing reports of bizarre and complex behavioral effects from z-drugs have prompted regulatory agencies to issue warnings and restrictions on prescribing, dispensing, and using z-drugs.

Sedative Abuse Statistics

Most Common Sedatives

Sedatives Addiction FAQs

Can Long-Term Sedation Cause Brain Damage?

Yes. According to one study, sedation was associated with in-hospital death. The patients who had received sedation had a longer duration of ventilation, a longer stay in the intensive care unit and in the hospital, and an increased in-hospital mortality rate compared with the patients who did not receive sedation. Compared with daily interruption or light sedation, deep sedation increased in-hospital mortality and decreased the 60-month survival for patients who had received sedation. [3]

Sedation is the administering of a sedative drug to produce a state of calm or sleep. As the amount consumed increases, especially beyond the established tolerance of an individual, progressively more impairment occurs in judgment and brain function. Initial signs include slurred speech, followed by nystagmus, incoordination (especially in complex tasks such as driving), ataxia, and memory impairment (“blackout”). Severe sedative overdose may lead to stupor, and high levels result in suppression of the autonomic respiratory drive and may result in coma or death from anoxic brain injury. 

Misuse of prescription psychotherapeutic drugs, including sedatives, is second only to marijuana as the nation’s most prevalent illicit drug use issue. All sedative and hypnotic drugs pose a significant risk of physical and psychological dependence. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2015, an estimated 119.0 million Americans aged 12 or older used prescription psychotherapeutic drugs in the past year, representing 44.5 percent of the population. About 18.6 million of them used sedatives (6.9%).

Are Sedatives Addictive?

Of the 18.6 million past year users of prescription sedatives, 0.6 million were youths aged 12 to 17 (2.4% of youths), 1.3 million were young adults aged 18 to 25 (3.8% of young adults), and 16.6 million were older adults aged 26 or older (8.0% of older adults). Thus, the overall estimate of 6.9% of people aged 12 or older who used sedatives in the past years was driven by use among adults aged 26 or older. [1]

Addiction To Sedatives

The “high” from sedative medications is described as being very similar to alcohol intoxication. Tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal are all reported with sedatives, though these appear to be less severe and with a lower incidence of z-drugs than benzodiazepines or barbiturates. Problems from misuse and abuse of sedatives have continued to grow with time.

Sedative Addiction Symptoms

Substance use disorders are defined as a pattern of use that results in marked distress and/or impairment, with two or more of the following symptoms over the course of a 12-month period:

1. Using the substance in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than intended
2. Unsuccessful attempts or a persistent desire to reduce the use
3. Too much time is spent on obtaining, using, and/or recovering from the effects of the substance
4. A strong craving for the substance
5. Significant interference with roles at work, school, or home
6. Continued use despite recurrent social or interpersonal consequences
7. Reducing or giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of the substance use
8. Substance use in situations in which it may be physically hazardous
9. Substance use despite recurrent or persistent physical or psychological consequences
10. Tolerance of the substance
11. Withdrawal from the substance [4]

Non-medical use of sedatives is common. Furthermore, nearly 10% of those with non-medical use meet the criteria for abuse/dependence. Anxiety symptoms associated with non-medical use (panic symptoms) and abuse/dependence (agoraphobia) should alert clinicians to screen for these problems and consider alternate treatment or referral.

People who are suffering from sedative addiction or develop sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorder may be at risk for co-occurring disorders. Clinical professionals use the term dual diagnosis to describe the simultaneous presence of more than one disorder. Sedatives addiction has been associated with the following disorders:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Other substance use disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Depressive disorders
• Bipolar disorder

Failing to receive dual diagnosis treatment can undermine your recovery efforts. 

Sedative Overdose Symptoms

Overdose may lead to death and should be treated as a medical emergency. If a person shows any overdose symptoms, 911 should be contacted immediately.

Sedative Withdrawal

Patients who chronically take sedative medications, whether prescribed by a physician or bought on the black market, are at risk for an acute withdrawal syndrome that is clinically indistinguishable from alcohol withdrawal. The severity of withdrawal is affected by concurrent medical illness. Risk factors for severe withdrawal (delirium tremens) include larger amounts of sedatives taken chronically, longer time of use, older age, and comorbid medical or psychiatric problems.

Misuse or abuse of sedatives may lead to intoxication or withdrawal syndrome, either of which may be fatal.  Sedative withdrawal syndrome can be avoided by slowly tapering down the dose of the sedative over several weeks. More serious withdrawal is treated by substitution with a long-acting sedative and requires close medical supervision in the outpatient or inpatient setting. After treatment of these consequences, the substance use disorder should be addressed with long-term treatment that involves individual and/or group counseling with the help of sedative addiction treatment professionals.

Treatment For Sedative Addiction

Receive treatment for co-occurring disorders today.

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.

We Level Up is a multi-faceted primary drug and alcohol dual diagnosis program treating secondary co-occurring mental health conditions and polysubstance abuse. We Level Up team uses evidence-based proven methods to generate cutting-edge solutions to substance abuse and behavioral health challenges. With support programs targeted toward families and individuals. We work to improve the health of the public and of individuals from every behavioral and related integrated addiction primary and mental health secondary treatment option. This includes constant research and innovation on substance abuse and integrated co-occurring mental health treatment models paired with individuals in a conducive environment.

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 and knowing what to do should relapse occur is equally important to ensure any long-term recovery success.

Our FREE 24-hour Hotline can help you with the resources about treatment options for sedatives addiction. Get a free consultation now for your best-fitting treatment programs along with 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.

As the sedatives addiction treatment community begins to realize that addiction is itself a mental disorder, the relationship between substance abuse and mental disorders becomes more complicated. The greater treatment community largely lacks a proper understanding of dually diagnosed conditions, so these conditions are still treated separately, or worse–not treated or diagnosed at all. We Level Up dual diagnosis treatment centers in Florida, California, Texas, and New Jersey are some of the facilities that have professionals trained to help treat co-occurring disorders concurrently. This type of tandem treatment provides some of the best success rates.

Get dual diagnosis treatment for individuals struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders. We Level Up addiction counselors will discuss the average cost of the program based on the personalized treatment that works best for you.