What is the strongest Benzo
What is the strongest Benzo
What is the strongest Benzo, Benzodiazepines, also known as Benzos, all interact with the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA-A). Every Benzodiazepine impacts GABA-A in a unique way, causing unique mental and physical effects on the user. Benzos are very helpful in the treatment of many mental illnesses and sleep disorders, which is why they are so commonly prescribed. However, the manner in which these drugs impact brain chemistry can quickly cause dependence and addiction. This is especially true when they are used improperly or illegally.
Benzodiazepine Addiction
Benzos are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States, and they are also some of the most commonly abused. Some studies have found that between 11% and 15% of American adults take Benzos of some kind legally (with a prescription) in any given year. Because most Benzos are legal when prescribed, many users don’t feel that they are dangerous. This leads them to gradually use greater and greater doses over time without worrying about the consequences. Because the effectiveness of most medications fades over time as users develop a tolerance, Benzo users may not be concerned when they have to take more and more, thinking that is just the natural course of a prescription. Even when they begin to show signs of addiction, many Benzo users will strongly deny they have a problem. It is very common to hear defenses such as, “I don’t have a problem. I have a prescription.”
Despite this, Benzodiazepine addiction is a very real and very powerful. Benzodiazepines work by altering the chemistry of the brain. Over time, the brain becomes accustomed to the constant presence of the Benzos, and it eventually needs them to function “normally.” When they are no longer present in sufficient amounts, the brain is no longer able to function in the way that it has become accustomed, and a series of symptoms known as withdrawal begin to appear. These symptoms include mood swings, nausea, weight loss, headaches, muscle pain, hallucinations, and more. While these symptoms are dangerous, they are also something that must be dealt with if the person suffering wishes to detox. Benzodiazepine addicts eventually crave their drug of choice and may eventually commit increasingly desperate actions to obtain it, even at great personal cost to themselves and their families.