How bad are Benzodiazepines for your health?

[smithdogg1]

Ok so just about everyone knows that abuse of drugs like cocaine for example will lead to some pretty serious health complications (high blood pressure, hearth issues, damaged septum, ect.) but what about Benzos? Besides the obvious addiction potential and the withdrawal symptoms that go along with it, what type of damage will abusing benzos do to your body/brain? Do they permanently alter your brain chemistry? What about if you take them as prescribed or responsibly (IE not taking 4 mgs of Xanax in a sitting). SWIM is just curious as to how bad benzos are for your health, right now SWIM’s believes they are not very damaging as long as you don’t take the lightly, understand that the addiction potential is high and use them in moderation and responsibly. But SWIM may be totally wrong in this belief.

[GreatWonder]

Benzodiazepines produce impairment of cognitive functioning and psychomotor performance e.g. reaction time, vigilance, arousal, judgement, reasoning, speed and accuracy of information processing, visual spatial ability, co-ordination, short-term and post drug long-term memory, 'blackouts' and learned tasks.
These effects are independent of abuse, dependency, non-dependency, normal, healthy, young or old subjects. Impairment increases with chronic use. Development of tolerance to these effects is very slow.
CT brain scans show a difference in ventricular cerebral spinal fluid space dimensions between benzodiazepine users and non-users, and also between high and low benzodiazepine users.
The functional brain damage causes increased morbidity, increased mortality and social deterioration.
Subjects are generally not aware of their reduced capacity or the fact that they are not functioning well in every day life.
In general much of the impairment is slowly reversible. Some aspects show improvement after six years, some are semi-permanent or permanent.

[Jatelka]

^^^ Does SWIY have a source for this info GreatWonder? Would be appreciated.

[Jatelka]

Thanks GW. Thought it might be. The site does have a forum though, so have removed your link.

Attached is the list of abstracts. At some point SWIJ will try and get the papers for the archive.

[Sky Walker]

What about if you take them as prescribed or responsibly (IE not taking 4 mgs in a sitting).

What do you mean not taking 4mgs in a sitting, doesn't one table contain 5mgs, surely that's not alot.

What would be considered moderate and responsible, is daily usage in itself - regardless of dosage - considered heavy and potentially dangerous, apart from the addiction potential?

[smithdogg1]

What do you mean not taking 4mgs in a sitting, doesn't one table contain 5mgs, surely that's not alot.

What would be considered moderate and responsible, is daily usage in itself - regardless of dosage - considered heavy and potentially dangerous, apart from the addiction potential?

SWIM should have been more specific, he was referring to Xanax, in which case 4mgs is a lot. For something like valium that would not be much at all.

[_caesar_]

5MG is a lot, that does depend on the benzodiazepine though, check out

BENZODIAZEPINE (BZ) COMPARISON CHART
http://meds.queensu.ca/~clpsych/orientation/Benzodiazepine%20comparison%20chart.pdf

SWIM couldnt even begin to suggest whats would be a moderate and safer dosage, it all depends on the monkey I suppose. I'm sure someone with more knowledge of such a family will (NOT) give you a suggestion in the follow up posts.

What do you mean not taking 4mgs in a sitting, doesn't one table contain 5mgs, surely that's not alot.

What would be considered moderate and responsible, is daily usage in itself - regardless of dosage - considered heavy and potentially dangerous, apart from the addiction potential?