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Addiction Psychiatry 2018 Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
ISSN: 2155-6105 Page 47
August 13-14, 2018
Madrid, Spain
8th International Conference on
Addiction Psychiatry
Background: Benzodiazepines (benzos) are a group of drugs used
mainly as sedatives, hypnotics, anti-epileptics andmuscle relaxants.
Highly effective for short term treatment, benzodiazepines and Z
drugs are not recommended for use beyond 2 to 4 weeks, as they
carry a high risk of tolerance, dependency, accidents and morbidity,
including increased risks of dementia. Patients who do withdraw
successfullyreportsignificantimprovementsinhealthandwellbeing;
however for some users the withdrawal process can be difficult and
protracted.
Objectives: To understand patient experiences of benzodiazepine
discontinuation syndrome from the user perspective.
Design: Qualitative study of online patient narratives of
benzodiazepinediscontinuationandrecovery,withthematicanalysis.
Setting: Online study of data gathered from open access electronic
support groups (ESGs), Internet blogs and YouTube videos on
benzodiazepine withdrawal (discontinuation) syndrome.
Results: Our searches indicate that users frequently post stories
about their experiences on Internet support sites and YouTube and
employ vivid metaphors to portray the psychologically disturbing
and protracted nature of the withdrawal the recovery process. We
discuss 9 common themes of user stories: (1) hell, (2) heightened
anxiety and sensitivity, (3) spaced out/imprisoned, (4) depression
and exhaustion, (5) bodily symptoms, (6) anger and remorse, (7)
waves and windows, (8) healing and (9) success stories. By posting
stories, ex-usersmake known that distress does lessenand recovery
can happen, but that the timescale for this is unpredictable and in
some casesmay takemonths or years.
From hell and healing: Internet user’s construction of
benzodiazepine distress and withdrawal
Alison Fixsen and Damien Ridge
University of Westminster, UK
J Addict Res Ther 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6105-C2-040