Benzodiazepine, << `behn` zoh dy AZ uh peen, >> is any of a group of drugs widely prescribed to relieve anxiety. Benzodiazepines also are used to treat insomnia, relieve muscle spasms, and prevent the seizures associated with epilepsy and certain other conditions.
Physicians use benzodiazepines to treat severe anxiety and disorders that involve anxiety, such as panic disorder and phobias. The drugs are generally prescribed for short-term use—that is, one to six months. However, some persistent conditions may require the patient to take benzodiazepines for six months or longer.
Benzodiazepines are also useful in the treatment of alcoholism. When undergoing treatment for alcoholism, patients first go through a period of withdrawal, during which all alcoholic beverages are withheld. During this time, physicians give patients benzodiazepines to help prevent them from developing the complications that can result from the abrupt discontinuation of alcohol use. These complications include high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and delirium tremens (the DT’s), a condition that causes agitation, mental confusion, hallucinations, and sometimes death.
Benzodiazepines can cause sleepiness and can interfere with a person’s memory and coordination. They can also cause dependency, especially in individuals who have a history of drug addiction and in people who use the drugs for six months or longer.
Before benzodiazepines were introduced in 1960, doctors treated anxiety with barbiturates and other sedatives. However, these drugs are not as safe as benzodiazepines, and they are more likely to be misused and cause serious addiction. Commonly used benzodiazepines include alprazolam (trade name, Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium and others), diazepam (Valium and others), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), lorazepam (Ativan and others), and triazolam (Halcion).
