A benzodiazepine (pronounced /ˌbɛnzɵdaɪˈæzɨpiːn/, sometimes abbreviated to "benzo") is a psychoactive drug A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical or psychotropic is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally to purposefully alter one's consciousness, as entheogens for ritual or whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene Benzene, or benzol, is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. It is sometimes abbreviated Ph–H. Benzene is a colorless and highly flammable liquid with a sweet smell and a relatively high melting point. Because it is a known carcinogen, its use as an additive in gasoline is now limited, but it is an important industrial ring and a diazepine When combined with a benzene ring, it is the basis of the benzodiazepine family of compounds. In these compounds the nitrogen atoms are at the 1 and 5 positions as, for example, in clobazam .[citation needed] ring. The first benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide Chlordiazepoxide , is a sedative/hypnotic drug and benzodiazepine derivative. It is marketed under the trade names Klopoxid, Librax (also contains clidinium bromide), Libritabs, Librium, Mesural, Multum, Novapam, Risolid, Silibrin, Sonimen, Tropium, and Zetran (Librium), was discovered accidentally by Leo Sternbach Dr Leo Henryk Sternbach was a Polish-Jewish chemist who is credited with discovering benzodiazepines, a class of tranquilizers in 1955, and made available in 1960 by Hoffmann–La Roche, which has also marketed diazepam Diazepam , first marketed as Valium (/ˈvæliəm/) by Hoffmann-La Roche, is a benzodiazepine derivative drug. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, muscle spasms, restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, and Ménière's disease. It may also be used before certain medical procedures (such as (Valium) since 1963.[1]
Benzodiazepines enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals which relay, amplify, and modulate signals between a neuron and another cell. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles that cluster beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to receptors in the membrane on the gamma-aminobutyric acid γ-Aminobutyric acid (IPA: [ˈgæmə əˈmiːnoʊbjuːˈtɪrɨk ˈæsɨd]) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It plays a role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. In humans, GABA is also directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone. In insect species GABA acts, which results in sedative A sedative is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement, hypnotic Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia. Because drugs in this class generally produce dose-dependent effects, ranging from anxiolysis to production of unconsciousness, they are often referred to collectively as sedative-hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anxiolytic An anxiolytic is a drug used for the treatment of symptoms of anxiety. Anxiolytics have been shown to be useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant The anticonvulsants are a diverse group of pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, since many seem to act as mood stabilizers. The goal of an anticonvulsant is to suppress the rapid and excessive firing of neurons that start a seizure, muscle relaxant A muscle relaxant is a drug which affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics. Neuromuscular blockers act by and amnesic Anterograde amnesia is a loss of the ability to create memories after the event that caused the amnesia occurs, leading to a partial or complete inability to recall the past. Anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia, where memories created prior to the event are lost, can occur together in the same patient. To a large degree, anterograde amnesia action.[2] These properties make benzodiazepines useful in treating anxiety Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry, insomnia Insomnia is a symptom which can accompany several sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders, characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep despite the opportunity. Insomnia is typically followed by functional impairment while awake. Both organic and non-organic insomnia without other cause constitute a sleep disorder,, agitation Psychomotor agitation is a series of unintentional and purposeless motions that stem from mental tension and anxiety of an individual. This includes pacing around a room, wringing one's hands, pulling off clothing and putting it back on and other similar actions. In more severe cases, the motions may become harmful to the individual, such as, seizures An epileptic seizure is a transient symptom of excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. It can manifest as an alteration in mental state, tonic or clonic movements, convulsions, and various other psychic symptoms . The medical syndrome of recurrent, unprovoked seizures is termed epilepsy, but seizures can occur in people who do not, muscle spasms A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes. Spasmodic muscle contraction may also be due to a large number of medical conditions,, alcohol withdrawal Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome is the set of symptoms seen when an individual reduces or stops alcohol consumption after prolonged periods of excessive alcohol intake. Excessive abuse of alcohol leads to tolerance, physical dependence, and an alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The withdrawal syndrome is largely due to the central nervous system being in a and as a premedication Premedication refer to a drug treatment given to a patient before a medical procedure. These drugs are typically sedative or analgesic for medical or dental procedures.[3] Benzodiazepines are categorized as either short-, intermediate- or long-acting. Short- and intermediate-acting benzodiazepines are preferred for the treatment of insomnia; longer-acting benzodiazepines are recommended for the treatment of anxiety.[4]
In general, benzodiazepines are safe and effective in the short term, although cognitive impairments and paradoxical effects An example of a paradoxical reaction is when a pain relief medication causes an increase in pain. Some sedatives prescribed for adults actually cause hyperactivity in children such as aggression or behavioral disinhibition Disinhibition is a term in psychology used to describe a lack of restraint manifested in several ways, including disregard for social conventions, impulsivity, and poor risk assessment. Disinhibition affects motor, instinctual, emotional, cognitive and perceptual aspects with signs and symptoms similar to the diagnostic criteria for mania occasionally occur.[5] Long-term use is controversial due to concerns about adverse psychological and physical effects, increased questioning of effectiveness and because benzodiazepines are prone to cause tolerance In physiology, physiological tolerance or drug tolerance is commonly encountered in pharmacology, when a subject's reaction to a drug decreases so that larger doses are required to achieve the same effect. Drug tolerance can involve both psychological drug tolerance and physiological factors. Characteristics of drug tolerance: it is reversible,, physical dependence Physical dependence refers to a state resulting from chronic use of a drug that has produced tolerance and where negative physical symptoms of withdrawal result from abrupt discontinuation or dosage reduction. Physical dependence can develop from low-dose therapeutic use of certain medications as well as misuse of recreational drugs such as and upon cessation of use, a withdrawal syndrome Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome—often abbreviated to benzo withdrawal—is the cluster of symptoms which appear when a person who has taken benzodiazepines long term and has developed benzodiazepine dependence stops taking benzodiazepine drug or during dosage reductions. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is similar to the alcohol withdrawal syndrome.[6][7] In general, withdrawal from benzodiazepines leads to improved physical and mental health.[8][9] The elderly are at an increased risk of suffering from both short- and long-term adverse effects An adverse drug reaction is an expression that describes harm associated with the use of given medications at a normal dose. The meaning of this expression differs from the meaning of "side effect", as this last expression might also imply that the effects can be beneficial. The study of ADRs is the concern of the field known as.[8][10]
There is controversy concerning the safety of benzodiazepines in pregnancy. While they are not major teratogens Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development. It is often thought of as the study of birth defects, but it is much broader than that, taking in other developmental stages, such as puberty; and other life forms, such as plants. The term stems from the Greek τέρᾰς , meaning monster, or marvel and λόγος - lógos,, uncertainty remains as to whether they cause cleft palate Cleft lip and cleft palate (palatoschisis) (colloquially known as harelip), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. A cleft is a fissure or opening—a gap. It is the non-fusion of the body's natural structures that form in a small number of babies and whether neurobehavioural effects occur as a result of prenatal exposure;[11] they are known to cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and/or alcohol. In order to experience the symptoms of withdrawal, one must have first developed a physical. Benzodiazepines can be taken in overdoses The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced. An overdose is widely considered harmful and dangerous as it can result in death and can cause dangerous deep unconsciousness In medicine, a coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. A person in a coma cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain, light or sound, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma can be described as comatose. However, they are much less toxic than their predecessors, the barbiturates Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and, by virtue of this, they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics and as anticonvulsants. They have addiction potential, both physical and psychological. Barbiturates have now largely been, and death rarely results when a benzodiazepine is the only drug taken. When combined with other central nervous system depressants Depressants are psychoactive drugs which temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind. Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them, depressants are also occasionally referred to as "downers& such as alcohol An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits and opiates In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant, as well as many semisynthetic chemical derivatives of such alkaloids, the potential for toxicity increases.[12] Benzodiazepines are commonly misused and taken in combination with other drugs of abuse Drug abuse has a huge range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. All of these definitions imply a negative judgment of the drug use in question . Some of the drugs most often associated with this term include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates,.[13][14][15]
Contents |
Daily Telegraph
They generally take a cocktail of drugs including prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines , and generally inject. Often the first group reckon they don't ...
admin
hu, 14 Jan 2010 01:48:21 GM
Benzodiazepine. Withdrawals, Addiction, Side Effects: My first vid done in September of 2009. A cry for help on YouTube .The Benzonator. Share/Bookmark.
Q. I learned that a patient becomes addicted within a month of taking BZ's in a psychology lesson. Surely this is a bad enough side-effect to rule them out as a treatment method? Also, there's the act that they're only a short-term answer and provide a cover-up for the underlying problem. I'm confused!
Asked by unknown - Wed Jan 21 13:13:27 2009 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments
A. I have Xanax that I take for emergencies. My GP has been suggesting a Klonipin regimen. I told them no because I dont want to live life in a haze unable to feel anything. My 24 year old brother is now on Ativan they skipped Xanax and Klonipin and went straight for the big guns. They prescribe these things like they are candy. At least where I am from. I wish mental health problems didnt exist, or they only lasted as long as the common cold.
Answered by Aislan - Wed Jan 21 13:42:29 2009
