Nowadays, studies in mental health have advanced very quickly, psychiatry allows us to offer therapies and treatment tailored to the psychological demands and needs of each person. In some cases, medicine administers psychotropic drugs to stop the symptoms of a mental disorder, whether obsessive thoughts, feelings of nervousness, suicidal tendencies… there is a wide range of medications aimed at psychiatry, among the most famous, we can highlight the Diazepam.
What is Diazepam and how does it work? This medication from the benzodiazepine family has a known sedative and anxiolytic effect that stops anxiety symptoms. It is also often prescribed for phobias, social anxiety and sleep disorders. If you want to know more about the Diazepam and its long term side effectswe recommend that you read the following Psychology-Online article.
Effects of benzodiazepines on the body
As we have mentioned previously, Diazepam is a psychotropic drug1 of the benzodiazepine family, like Lorazepam and the Orphidal. These types of medications are defined by their relaxing and even hypnotic effects. Like their predecessors (barbiturates), benzodiazepines act on our brain in a quite powerful way, depressing and inhibiting the transmitters of the nervous system. This mechanism produces the following effects in our body:
- Mental and muscular relaxation
- Sedative effects and difficulties focusing attention
- Psychological anesthesia
- Physical tiredness
- Dizziness and difficulty maintaining balance
- Feeling drowsy
- General feeling of calm
Long-term effects of benzodiazepines
Although the general intention of psychiatric medicine is to calm the symptoms of an illness, the continued use of some drugs such as Diazepam or other benzodiazepines can produce the following long-term adverse effects:
- Difficulty maintaining sustained attention and concentrating
- Cognitive decline in the elderly (worsening dementia)
- Dependency anxiety disorder (benzodiazepine addiction)
- Increase of
- Brain malformation in babies exposed to these types of medications before birth (if the mother took them during pregnancy)
Diazepam: package leaflet information
Diazepam acts in a generalized manner, producing a feeling of relaxation throughout the body and mind. Like all medications in its family, Diazepam has serious long-term side effects. According to the package insert for this drug, we find the following:
Common side effects
In the short term, the use of Diazepam can produce the following adverse effects:
- Somolence
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Dry mouth
- Diarrhea and general upset stomach
- Sudden lack or increase in appetite
- Tension drops and dizziness
Dangerous symptoms of Diazepam
If you take Diazepam and experience any of these symptoms, it is important that you see your doctor immediately to change your dose or stop the drug.
- Convulsive crisis
- Trouble breathing
- Distorted or blurred vision
- Yellowish color on the skin or around the iris of the eyes
- Skin rash (rash)
- Fever
- Acute confusional syndrome
Benzodiazepines and alcohol
As we have observed, the abuse of these medications is dangerous and can cause a multitude of problems in our body. What can happen if we mix benzodiazepines with alcohol?
The combination of Diazepam with alcohol is very dangerous. If we mix the sedative effect with the disinhibition and confusion of alcohol we can experience blackouts, loss of will, difficulties moving… it can even become a deadly cocktailthis is because the depressant effect of both substances on the brain adds up and can cause cardiorespiratory arrest.
From the Psychology-Online team we advise you: if you are taking Diazepam or other anxiolytics, it will be better that you give up alcohol during the treatment period.
Long-term side effects of diazepam
We have discussed the short-term side effects, however, what are the long term side effects of Diazepam? If the changes generated in our body are of a neurological nature, we understand that the problems that prolonged use of Diazepam may present will also be of this nature. Among the main complications, we highlight the following effects:
1. Rebound insomnia
Although one of its main effects is sedation and muscle relaxation, prolonged use of this medication can produce the paradoxical “rebound insomnia.” This effect is temporary and is defined as the reappearance of symptoms of nervousness and anxiety, only this time more pronounced.
2. Brain damage
Although the studies are not definitive, there is a high correlation between the prolonged use of high doses of Diazepam and damage to brain structures, this damage is quite similar to that experienced by people with alcoholism. Furthermore, this structural deterioration is permanent and irreparable.
3. Addiction
One of the most well-known and counterproductive effects of Diazepam is the dependence it generates, both on the sedative effects and on the substance itself. Once the medication is withdrawn, we can feel as if we are going through withdrawal syndrome. This side effect is because the administration of the psychotropic drug produces changes in the levels of neurotransmitters and our brain becomes accustomed to functioning low.
4. Immune system disorders
The uncontrolled and/or chronic use of benzodiazepines has also been related to negative effects on the immune system. There are studies that show us that if we take Diazepam for a long time, we may be more vulnerable to presenting physiological diseases. For example, a high level of correlation has been found between high doses of Diazepam and pneumonia2.
How to get off Diazepam
First of all, if we have not started taking this medication, it is important that we reflect on whether we really need it or not. Although it is effective in its mission and stops anxiety symptoms, its side effects are something that we must take into account before starting treatment with benzodiazepines.
If you already have an addiction to this drug, the withdrawal will have to be scheduled by a psychiatrist or specialist doctor. In this way, we will try to minimize damage and withdrawal syndrome.
Psychological treatment can be very useful in these cases, if we have mental tools that facilitate the withdrawal of Diazepam, we will not experience such pronounced adverse symptoms. In this case, the psychological therapy It will be aimed at teaching and emotional management to control the anxiety symptoms that withdrawal syndrome gives us.
Other questions about Diazepam and other benzodiazepines
If you liked this article about Diazepam and its long-term side effects, we recommend that you take note of some issues that may arise if you are going to start treatment with any of these medications:
- What long-term side effects does Lorazepam have? Also known as Orfidal, this drug has the following side effects: drowsiness, tiredness, dizziness, upset stomach… If you want to know more, you can consult this article about it.
- How long does Diazepam take to take effect and how long do its effects last? The effects are quickly noticed by the body and usually last between 6 and 8 hours.
- What dosage should I buy? Normally, they are administered in doses of 5 mg, 10 or 20. However, if you want to start treatment with this type of psychotropic drugs, you must go to a psychiatrist to get a prescription.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Diazepam: long-term side effectswe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- Drug or medication that affects the functioning of neurons and modulates neurotransmitter levels.
- Luebke, R.W.; Chen, D.H.; Dietert, R.; Yang, Y.; King, M.; Luster, MI. “The comparative immunotoxicity of five selected compounds following developmental or adult exposure.” J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 9 (1): 1-26. PMID 16393867.