Dependence is unfortunately one of the common complications of benzodiazepine use. Addiction to benzos like diazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam and temazepam can happen even when the drugs have originally been prescribed by a doctor.
If you’ve found yourself dependent on the drug, it can be hard to stop. Detox is the first stage of addiction treatment where you stop taking the drug and let your body adjust back to normality.
Quitting benzos suddenly can cause risky health complications, so it’s important to detox under medical guidance.
Find out what happens during benzo detox in Liverpool, and how you can come off the drugs safely and effectively.
Benzo detox treatment in Liverpool varies depending on the detox provider you choose. Options include NHS services and private treatment.
The level of care you receive during benzodiazepine detox treatment will vary on your individual needs and which treatment provider you choose.
If you want to come off benzodiazepines, make an appointment with your GP. A doctor will need to assess whether it’s the right time for you to stop. They’ll look at your mental health, whether you have long term insomnia and any other medical problems. They may suggest a tapered benzo detox.
Depending on your level of risk, your GP may refer you to local outpatient and community detox services in Liverpool for more intense care, like River Liverpool.
The NHS do offer limited funding for private detox services, but this is limited, and you will likely have to wait for a long time for treatment.
At private benzodiazepine rehab, you’ll receive an assessment, personalised withdrawal plan and reduction plan to suit your needs. These withdrawal symptoms will be managed safely with a supervised detox.
If you have a mild benzo addiction, you may be able to detox through community services. For severe benzo dependence, you may be more suited to a private, residential benzo detox.
Inpatient rehab can offer 24/7 monitoring and emotional support to ensure you’re as safe and comfortable as possible.
The costs of residential benzo detox in Liverpool range from £2,000-£4,000 for a multi-occupancy room, or £3,000-£6,000 for single room for a 10-day detox. Home detox costs around £1,500. If you have health insurance, your policy may cover the costs.
Prices can change depending on your length of treatment, and may be updated.
Tapered benzodiazepine detox means gradually reducing your dose over a period of weeks or months until you stop. It allows your body to adjust slowly, preventing withdrawal complications.
Occasionally, they may recommend you switch to diazepam to make tapering off the medication safer and more manageable.
If necessary, you’ll reduce your benzo dose gradually, switching to a lower dose every week or so. This can take a few months, depending on how high your original dose was.
During detox, you may go through benzodiazepine withdrawal. This is because benzos are what’s known as GABA receptor agonists which have relaxing effects on the brain and body.[1]
When you stop taking them, your brain has to adjust to producing these relaxing effects again without help from the drug.
Whether you develop withdrawal symptoms from benzodiazepines depends on how high your dosage is, and how long you’ve been taking them for. The higher your dose and longer you’ve been on them, the more likely you are to have complications, and the riskier they can become.
Withdrawal symptoms from mild dependence include:
Severe withdrawal symptoms include:
It’s important that withdrawal symptoms are monitored and managed by a medical professional. Detox providers offer different levels of care, so ensure you choose the right one for you, and always consult a doctor or addiction specialist.
Detox can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on your addiction severity.
Suddenly stopping benzodiazepines be medically risky if you have a severe addiction, as you could experience severe withdrawal symptoms. Without medical care, you’ll be at risk of life-threatening withdrawal symptoms like seizures, psychosis and delirium.
With the right support from your doctor or a medical professional, you can manage these complications and have a more comfortable detox.
If you’re pregnant, you’ve been taking high doses for a long time, you also use other substances like alcohol or drugs, or you have serious mental health conditions, you are at higher risk of dangerous withdrawal symptoms.
If you experience severe withdrawal symptoms, seek medical care immediately.
Detox is the very first stage of recovery from benzo addiction. If your anxiety, insomnia or stress remain unresolved, you run the risk of relapse.
Addiction treatment after detox can address the root causes of your addiction, and help you to understand and move past them.
Holistic addiction treatment includes:
Ongoing recovery support can reduce your risk of returning to benzo use after detox and help you enter life-long recovery.
Find out more about benzo detox in Liverpool by speaking to our confidential help team today. We can offer non-judgemental advice, support and referrals to top rehabs in Liverpool city centre, Merseyside and throughout the UK. Call 0800 140 4690 or +44 345 222 3508 from abroad.
Below, we outline some frequently asked questions around the benzo detox process in Liverpool:
Yes, when it is medically supervised, detoxing from benzodiazepines is safe. You should receive an assessment and monitoring to ensure your withdrawal symptoms are managed. Stopping suddenly or detoxing alone can be dangerous and may increase the risk of seizures.
Some people need the close monitoring that residential detox offers, especially if they have severe dependence, have suffered seizures in the past, or they also take other substances or have unstable mental health.
Detoxing from benzos at home is possible, but needs to be done under medical supervision to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms like psychosis and seizures. Speak to your GP or rehab provider who will assess your suitability for home detox.
[1] https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/benzodiazepine-z-drug-withdrawal/
