Fatigue from long hours of commuting, getting stuck in traffic, or shopping all day is an experience most people are familiar with. Sometimes it can be due to a lack of nutrients in the body that are not able to generate energy and make one feel groggy all the time.

Fatigue can also be one of the side effects of drug use. When a person stops using sleeping pills such as benzodiazepines (benzos), an overwhelming feeling of lethargy ensues, accompanied by body aches and drowsiness. Benzos withdrawal can have a debilitating impact. Reactions can develop slowly and there is a possibility that they will be ignored due to overlapping symptoms of insomnia and anxiety.

Serious ramifications of benzo abuse

When a person uses a CNS drug or tranquilizer, which is the class of drugs to which benzos belong, one feels calm. Mainly, benzos act on the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) which has inhibitory properties. When the transmitter is activated in response to benzos, the brain and nervous system slow down and the person feels relaxed. Some of the more common benzos include Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Restoril.

In addition to being used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, benzos are also used to treat spasms and seizures. For the elderly, benzos are used to improve sleep. Generally prescribed for the short term, if one continues to use benzos for a long time, addiction can appear. A person who has developed tolerance to a certain amount of the drug, over a period of time, will need more to satisfy the desire.

The impact of benzos is most acute in older people, as they have a much slower metabolism. They require considerably more effort to remove benzos from your system. Therefore, they are more likely to face a buildup of toxins that could exacerbate their physical symptoms. In older people, benzodiazepines can also cause permanent memory changes. They can lose their memory and have a hard time learning new things, leading to general cognitive decline. In certain cases, due to their sedative properties, benzos can cause falls and serious injuries. This can be serious for older people with a poorer sense of balance and visual impairment.

Mixing benzodiazepines with other classes of drugs and alcohol can be catastrophic. Many cases of overdose and deaths are attributed to the simultaneous use of opioids and benzo. Since alcohol intensifies the side effects of benzos, patients are advised not to consume alcohol when taking benzos.

Alternatives to benzos

For insomnia, which is usually treated with benzos, there is an alternative at hand. There are drugs known as benzodiazepine receptor agonists or ARBs. Most ARBs are more selective in how they affect the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Since they work on selected receptors and not all, they do not have many of the side effects of traditional benzos.

While ARBs can be helpful in treating insomnia, antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are a good replacement for benzos to treat generalized anxiety and panic attacks. Experts believe that antidepressants are less likely to create dependence or addiction. Since antidepressants work slowly, benzos doses are gradually reduced.

Another useful alternative for people suffering from anxiety and insomnia is exercise. Exercise is stimulating as it leads to the release of feel-good hormones. Therapeutic practices such as tai chi, meditation, and yoga have a positive impact on both the mind and the body. Studies have also shown the long-lasting effects of cognitive behavioral therapy in relieving anxiety.

The road to recovery

Benzos remain the most preferred forms of treatment for acute anxiety, muscle spasms, and seizures. Only time can tell if they can be completely replaced by another drug that has fewer or no side effects and has the same potential benefits as benzos. For people seeking benzo withdrawal treatment, detoxification is the only requirement, as long as they are not addicted to other substances. Detoxification can be natural, medicated or nutritional and is essential to cleanse the system of accumulated toxins.