When mixed with alcohol, benzodiazepines can lead to fatal overdose. Taking benzodiazepines with prescription pain or sleeping pills can also lead to fatal overdose. Antihistamines amplify their effects. Antihistamines—found in many over-the-counter sleep, cold, and allergy medicines—are sedating on their own. Be cautious when mixing with benzodiazepines to avoid over-sedation.
Be cautious when combining with antidepressants. You may need to adjust your dose accordingly. The benzodiazepines work because they slow down the nervous system. Paradoxical reactions are most common in children, the elderly, and people with developmental disabilities.
They include:. Anyone who takes benzodiazepines can experience unpleasant or dangerous side effects. But certain individuals are at a higher risk:. People over Older adults are more sensitive to the sedating effects of benzodiazepines.
Even small doses can cause confusion, amnesia, loss of balance, and cognitive impairment that looks like dementia. Benzodiazepine use in the elderly is associated with an increased risk of falls, broken hips and legs, and car accidents.
People with a history of substance abuse. Pregnant and breastfeeding women. Benzodiazepine use during pregnancy can lead to dependence in the developing baby, with withdrawal following birth. Benzodiazepines are also excreted in breast milk. Therefore, pregnant women need to have a thorough discussion about the risks and benefits of these medications with their prescribing doctor. If medication is necessary, the goal is the smallest effective dose. Benzodiazepines cause drowsiness and poor coordination, which increases your risk for accidents at home, at work, and on the road.
When on benzodiazepines, be very careful when driving, operating machinery, or doing anything else that requires physical coordination. Many medications originally approved for the treatment of depression are also prescribed for anxiety. In comparison to benzodiazepines, the risk for dependency and abuse is smaller. SSRIs have been used to treat generalized anxiety disorder GAD , obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD , panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although physical dependence is not as quick to develop with antidepressants, withdrawal can still be an issue. If discontinued too quickly, antidepressant withdrawal can trigger symptoms such as extreme depression and fatigue, irritability, anxiety, flu-like symptoms, and insomnia.
Antidepressants can make depression worse rather than better for some people, leading to an increased risk of suicide, hostility, and even homicidal behavior. While this is particularly true of children and young adults, anyone taking antidepressants should be closely watched. Signs that medication is making things worse include anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, hostility, restlessness, and extreme agitation—particularly if the symptoms appear suddenly or rapidly deteriorate.
If you spot the warning signs in yourself or a loved one, contact a doctor or therapist immediately. If you are concerned that a friend or family member is contemplating suicide, see Suicide Prevention.
Antidepressant medication Some types of antidepressant medication can help people to manage anxiety, even if they are not experiencing symptoms of depression. What are the side effects? How long are antidepressants usually needed? Benzodiazepines Benzodiazepines sometimes called minor tranquillisers and sleeping pills are a class of drug commonly prescribed in the short term to help people cope with anxiety conditions.
Learn more about benzodiazepines Download the A guide to what works for anxiety booklet Download the Antidepressant medication fact sheet. Other pages in This Section Psychological treatments for anxiety Medical treatments for anxiety Benzodiazepines Anxiety management strategies. Stay in touch with us Sign up below for regular emails filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.
Sign me up. Your session is about to expire. This is known as physical dependence. Physical dependence, on its own, is not the same as addiction. Signs of physical dependence include tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance: People are said to have developed tolerance to a drug when the same dose, taken over time, no longer has the desired effect. With benzodiazepines, it is known that:. Some people who develop tolerance may take higher and higher doses to feel the same intensity of effect as when they started taking the drug.
These people may find it difficult to stop using benzodiazepines. Withdrawal: Withdrawal symptoms of benzodiazepines may be similar to the reasons why the drugs were prescribed in the first place. The severity of withdrawal symptoms depends on the type of benzodiazepine used, the amount used and length of time it is used, and on whether the drug is stopped abruptly.
Symptoms can include headache, insomnia, anxiety, tension, sweating, difficulty concentrating, tremor, sensory disturbances, fatigue, stomach upset and loss of appetite. Severe withdrawal symptoms from regular use of benzodiazepines in high doses may include agitation, paranoia, delirium and seizures. Withdrawal symptoms generally begin within a few days after treatment is stopped, and they may continue for two to four weeks or longer. Once you have slept well for two or three nights in a row, try to get to sleep without taking the medication.
If you have been taking benzodiazepines regularly for a few weeks or more, check with your doctor before reducing or stopping your medication. Most often, benzodiazepines are prescribed to help people get through stressful situations or to provide relief while waiting for other treatment to take effect. When used in this way, on occasion or daily for a few weeks, most people can stop taking them without difficulty or withdrawal effects.
Stopping use can, however, be hard for some people, even when the use is short term. Problems are most likely to occur when:. People who wish to stop using benzodiazepines after using them regularly over a longer term will need to cut back their use gradually over an extended period of time. This approach reduces withdrawal effects and helps ensure success in stopping. Because the ideal process for cutting down varies depending on the benzodiazepine you are taking, the dose and the length of time you have been taking it, ask your doctor to help you set up a schedule.
If the long-term use has been at high doses, stopping use requires medical supervision. These drugs may interact with other medications. If your doctor or dentist prescribes any medication, inform him or her about the drug you are taking.
Check with your pharmacist before using any over-the-counter medication, including herbal products, cold or allergy tablets, or cough syrups. When taken on their own, the risk of overdose with benzodiazepines is low; however, combining these drugs with other sedatives, such as alcohol, or with medications containing codeine or other opioid drugs, can result in overdose and possible death. Symptoms of overdose include slurred speech, confusion, severe drowsiness, weakness and staggering, slow heartbeat, breathing problems and unconsciousness.
Benzodiazepines can be dangerous when combined with alcohol. Benzodiazepines increase the effects of alcohol, making you more sleepy, dizzy or lightheaded. One danger of this is the increased risk of stumbling, falling and related injuries. Another is the increased risk of overdose. Both alcohol and benzodiazepines slow down the central nervous system, which controls breathing.
In overdose, breathing can stop. Drinking too many caffeinated beverages i. Street drugs, such as marijuana or cocaine, have effects that can worsen symptoms of anxiety and interfere with sleep—making you feel worse, rather than better.
Taking benzodiazepines to enhance the effect of other sedative drugs, such as opioids, is dangerous and increases the risk of overdose and injury. Benzodiazepines can affect your ability to drive a vehicle and increase the risk of a crash, especially if taken in combination with alcohol or other sedative drugs.
This involves working through a CBT-based workbook or computer course in your own time with the support of a therapist. Or you may be offered a group course where you and other people with similar problems meet with a therapist every week to learn ways to tackle your anxiety.
If these initial treatments don't help, you'll usually be offered either a more intensive psychological therapy or medication. Studies of different treatments for GAD have found the benefits of CBT may last longer than those of medication, but no single treatment works for everyone. CBT helps you to question your negative or anxious thoughts and do things you'd usually avoid because they make you anxious.
It usually involves meeting with a specially trained and accredited therapist for a 1-hour session every week for 3 to 4 months. Applied relaxation focuses on relaxing your muscles in a particular way during situations that usually cause anxiety. The technique needs to be taught by a trained therapist, but generally involves:.
As with CBT, applied relaxation therapy will usually mean meeting with a therapist for a 1-hour session every week for 3 to 4 months. Animated video explaining self-referral to psychological therapies services for stress, anxiety or depression. If the psychological treatments above haven't helped or you'd prefer not to try them, you'll usually be offered medication. Some medication is designed to be taken on a short-term basis, while other medicines are prescribed for longer periods.
Depending on your symptoms, you may need medicine to treat your physical symptoms, as well as your psychological ones. If you're considering taking medication for GAD, your GP should discuss the different options with you in detail before you start a course of treatment, including:.
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