Diazepam long -term side effects

Today, mental health studies have advanced very rapidly, psychiatry allows to offer therapies and treatment adjusted to the demands and psychological needs of each person. In some cases, medicine manages psychopharmaceuticals to stop the symptoms of a mental disorder, whether obsessive thoughts, feelings of nervousness, suicidal trends ... There is a large range of medications aimed at psychiatry, among the most famous, we can highlight the diazepam.

¿What is and how Diazepam acts? This medication of the benzodiazepine family has a well -known sedative and anxiolytic effect that slows the symptoms of anxiety. It is usually also prescribed for phobias, social anxiety and sleep disorders. If you want to know more about Diazepam and its long -term side effects, We recommend you read the following Psychology-online article.

1. Effects of benzodiazepines in the body
2. Diazepam: Prospect information
3. Diazepam long -term side effects
4. How to get rid of Diazepam
5. Other issues about Diazepam and other benzodiazepines

Effects of benzodiazepines in the body

As we have mentioned earlier, Diazepam is a psychotropic¹ of the benzodiazepine family, such as Lorazepam and the Orfidal. 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 Nervous System Transmitters. This mechanism produces the following effects in our body:

• Mental and muscle relaxation
• Sedative effects and difficulties in focusing attention
• Psychological anesthesia
• Physical tiredness
• Dizziness and difficulty to maintain balance
• Feeling of sleepiness
• General sensation of calm

Long -term effects of benzodiazepines

Although the general intention of psychiatric medicine is to calm the symptoms of a disease, the continued use of some drugs such as diazepam or other benzodiazepines can produce the following long -term adverse effects:

• Difficulties in maintaining sustained attention and concentrating
• Memory losses
• Cognitive decline in the elderly (worsening of dementia)
• Dependency anxiety disorder (Benzodiazepines addiction)
• Increased suicidal risk
• Brain malformation in babies exposed to this type of medication before birth (if the mother took them during pregnancy)

Diazepam: Prospect information

Diazepam acts in a generalized way, producing a sense of relaxation throughout the body and mind, like all the medications of its family, Diazepam has serious long -term side effects. According to the prospect of 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 stomach upset in genetal
• Lack or sudden increase in appetite
• Voltage drops and dizziness

Dangerous symptoms of Diazepam

If you take diazepam and present any of these symptoms, it is important that you go to your doctor immediately to change your dose or remove the drug.

• Convulsive crisis
• Trouble breathing
• Distorted or blurred vision
• Yellowish color in the skin or around the iris of the eyes
• Cutaneous eruption (ravies)
• Fever
• Acute confusional syndrome

Benzodiazepines and alcohol

As we have observed, the abuse of these medications is dangerous and can cause multitude of problems in our body. ¿What can happen if we mix benzodiazepines with alcohol?

Diazepam's combination with alcohol is very dangerous. If we mix the sedative effect with the dehinibition and confusion of alcohol we can experience mental gaps, loss of will, difficulties in moving ... it can even become a Mortal cocktail, This is because the depressing effect of both substances on the brain adds and can cause cardiorespiratory arrest.

From the psychology-online team we advise you: if you are taking diazepam or other anxiolytic, you better leave alcohol during the treatment period.

Diazepam long -term side effects

We have commented on the short -term side effects, however, ¿which are the Diazepam long -term side effects? If the changes that are generated in our body are of a neurological nature, we understand that the problems that the prolonged use of Diazepam can also present will also be of this character. Among the main complications, we highlight the following effects:

1. Bouncing insomnia

While one of its main effects is sedation and muscle relaxation, the prolonged use of this medication can produce the paradoxical "rebound insomnia". This effect is transitory and is defined as the reappearance of symptoms of nervousness and anxiety, only this time more accentuated.

2. Brain damage

Although 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 resembles that people with alcoholism present. In addition, this structural deterioration is permanent and irreparable.

3. Addiction

One of the best known and counterproductive effects of Diazepam is the dependence that it generates, both for sedative effects and the substance itself. Once we withdraw our medication, we can feel as if we were going through withdrawal syndrome. This side effect is due to the fact that the administration of the psychopharmachamus produces changes in the levels of neurotransmitters and our brain is customary to function under the effects of Diazepam.

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, we can be more vulnerable to presenting physiological diseases. For example, a high correlation level between high doses of Diazepam and pneumonia has been found².

How to get rid of Diazepam

First, if we have not started taking this medication, it is important that we reflect whether or not we need it or not. Although it is effective in its mission and brakes the symptoms of anxiety, its side effects are something that we must take into account before starting a treatment with benzodiazepines.

In the case of already presenting an addiction to this drug, The withdrawal will have to be scheduled by a psychiatrist or specialist doctor. In this way, you 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 relaxation and emotional management techniques to control the anxiety symptoms that withdrawal syndrome gives us.

Other issues 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 a treatment with any of these medications:

1. ¿What long -term side effects does Lorazepam have? Also known as orfidal, this drug has as its side effects the following: drowsiness, tiredness, dizziness, stomach discomfort ... If you want to know more, you can consult this article about the Lorazepam: what is it useful, dose and side effects.
2. ¿How long does Diazepam take effect and how much its effects last? The body quickly notices the effects and normally lasts between 6 and 8 hours.
3. ¿What dose I should buy? Normally, 5 mg, 10 or 20 doses are administered. However, if you want to start a treatment with this type of psychotropic, you must go to a psychiatrist to make you a recipe.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no 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 effects, We recommend that you enter our category of Psychopharmaceuticals.