Benzodiazepine Addiction: From Lab to Street

Download or read book Benzodiazepine Addiction: From Lab to Street written by Lais F. Berro and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-10-20 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benzodiazepine-type drugs (benzodiazepines and newer non-benzodiazepines, such as “Z drugs”) are important therapeutic tools in psychiatric medicine, being among the most highly prescribed psychiatric medications. Despite their clinical usefulness, benzodiazepines also induce several unwanted side effects, including abuse and dependence. In fact, the misuse and abuse of benzodiazepines have increased dramatically in recent years, with overdose deaths due to the combination of benzodiazepines and opioids reaching an all-time high, emphasizing that benzodiazepine abuse is cause for concern. Critically, no approved and broadly effective pharmacotherapy exists for the treatment of benzodiazepine misuse/use disorder.