A Guide to Benzodiazepines: Types, Side Effects, Use & Abuse, Overdose, Tolerance & Withdrawal and Treatment
Benzodiazepines are a relatively common class of prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies introduced benzodiazepines to the market at the start of the 1960s as a safer alternative to a class of sedative drugs called barbiturates. Benzodiazepines do have legitimate medical uses, but they are not without side effects, and some people may abuse them.
Medical Uses of Benzodiazepines
According to Harvard Medical School, the main use of benzodiazepines is the treatment of anxiety and sleep problems. Some doctors may prescribe them to alleviate drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms or to treat muscle spasms, seizures, or tremors.
Benzodiazepines may be useful for anxiety and sleep disorders in several situations. For example, a doctor may prescribe a few benzodiazepine pills to a patient to use for occasional insomnia as needed. People who have generalized anxiety disorder may also benefit from taking benzodiazepines, and some people may use these drugs to treat temporary anxiety, such as that which occurs before boarding a plane, having a surgery, or during an agitating situation. For people with panic disorder, benzodiazepines can reduce the anxiety that triggers a panic attack.
