Benzodiazepine Detox in Las Vegas Nevada

Benzodiazepines (benzos) are a prescription medicine used to treat anxiety disorders, and insomnia.¹ But long-term use and misuse of these drugs can lead to dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and substance use disorders (SUDs).^{1, 2} In Clark County, Nevada, benzos are involved in about 26% of overdose deaths.³

Common Benzodiazepines

• Ativan (lorazepam).
• Halcion (triazolam).
• Klonopin (clonazepam).
• Librium (chlordiazepoxide).
• Prosom (estazolam).
• Restoril (temazepam).
• Valium (diazepam).
• Xanax (alprazolam).

What Is Benzodiazepine Detox?

Detox helps you safely manage withdrawal symptoms from drugs and alcohol.^{6, 7} It is often the first step toward recovery from substance use disorders. It is important to note that even when you use benzos exactly as your doctor told you to, this can sometimes lead to dependence, meaning you’ll have withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly reduce your dose or stop taking the drug..

Benzo withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and in some cases be life-threatening, so it is especially important to seek medical advice before trying to quit benzos on your own.^{5, 7}

During a medical detox, your care team will check on you often to make sure your withdrawal symptoms are under control.^{6, 7} They may give prescription medicines to help ease these symptoms and will also be able to quickly identify and address any issues that come up.^{6, 7}

What Are the Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal?

Which withdrawal symptoms you have and how severe they are can vary depending on different factors, such as:^{1, 7, 8}

• Which benzo(s) you take.
• How much you take.
• How often you take it.
• How long you’ve been taking it.
• Your age.
• Your physical and mental health.
• If you use other substances (this is called “polydrug use”).

The most common signs and symptoms of benzo withdrawal include:^{1, 2, 5, 8, 9}

• Anxiety.
• Agitation.
• Trouble sleeping (insomnia) and nightmares.
• Muscle tension.
• Having trouble concentrating and remembering things.
• Raised blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse.
• Tremor (shakiness).
• Being easily irritated.
• Catatonia (not being able to move in a normal way) in older adults.
• Sensory disturbances, such as numb or tingly skin, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and increased sensitivity to light, sound, and touch.
• Hallucinations (seeing, feeling, or hearing things that aren’t there).
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Delirium, a life-threatening condition marked by sudden, severe confusion.
• Seizures, which can be life-threatening.

If you take benzodiazepines to manage anxiety or insomnia, these symptoms can come back during withdrawal.⁸ These are called rebound symptoms and they are often worse than they were before treatment.⁸

Dangers of Mixing Benzos and Other Substances

It can be especially dangerous to take benzodiazepines in combination with other substances, specifically alcohol, opioids, antihistamines, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants (anti-seizure drugs), certain antidepressants, and other CNS depressants. Mixing benzos with these substances can heighten sedating effects, slow breathing, impair thought, and slow response time, which can increase your risk of injury, overdose, and death.^{4, 11} For example, taking benzos with opioids or alcohol can cause dangerously slow breathing (respiratory depression), which may lead to coma, brain damage, and death.^{4, 11, 12}

People who buy benzodiazepines illegally may be taking opioids without knowing it. If you buy Xanax or other prescription benzos on the street, these pills may be counterfeit (fake) and contain harmful substances, such as the synthetic (man-made) opioid fentanyl, which can increase your chance of overdose.^3,13 Studies show that benzodiazepines have been involved in growing numbers of overdoses and overdose deaths in recent years.^{11, 14}

• In 2019, there were 9,711 benzodiazepine overdose deaths. It is rare for someone to overdose on benzodiazepines alone, but they can be lethal when taken together with alcohol, opioids, or other CNS depressants. ¹⁴
• Between 2019 and 2020, there was a 24% increase in visits to the emergency department for benzo overdoses.¹¹ Roughly 27% of benzo-related ED visits also involved alcohol.¹⁵
• More than 90% of fatal benzodiazepine overdoses also involve some type of opioid.¹¹

• Between January 2019 and June 2020, about 17% of all fatal overdoses between involved benzos.¹¹
• Fatal overdoses from illegal benzos increased by more than 500% between 2019 and 2020, while fatal overdoses from prescription benzodiazepines went up by 22%.¹¹
• People who are prescribed both opioids and benzodiazepines are 10 times more likely to fatally overdose.^{4, 16}
• In 2019, 16% of fatal opioid overdoses also involved benzos.⁴

Use of other substances in addition to benzos can increase your risk of more severe withdrawal that follows a less predictable course.

Benzo Detox Timeline

The benzo withdrawal and detox timeline is highly variable, and it isn’t the same for everyone. When symptoms begin, how severe they are, and how long benzo detox lasts depends on: ^{2, 7, 8}

• The type of benzo you take
• How much you take.
• How long you’ve been taking it.
• How often you use it.
• Other substances or medicines you take.
• If you have any physical or mental health conditions.

For short-acting benzos (alprazolam, lorazepam, temazepam), withdrawal symptoms often begin within 1 to 2 days after your last dose and last for about 2 to 4 weeks.^{2, 8} For long-acting benzos (diazepam), symptoms commonly begin within 2 to 7 days after your last dose and last for up to 8 weeks.^{2, 8}

At higher doses and with longer use comes longer withdrawal duration and greater risk of more severe withdrawal.

Benzo Detox Programs in Nevada

Medical detox is designed to help support you and keep you safe as you go through benzo withdrawal, which can be stressful, uncomfortable, and, in rare cases, even dangerous.^{5, 7} The detox process begins with a thorough assessment. Your care team will ask you about your:⁷

• Substance use.
• Physical and mental health history.
• Treatment history.
• Living environment and support system.

Your care team will use this information to help you choose the right treatment setting and medicines.^{5, 7} You may benefit from inpatient detox in Las Vegas, where you’ll get 24/7 medical care, if you:^{7, 17}

• Used high doses of benzodiazepines for an extended period of time.
• Are addicted to additional substances, such as alcohol or opioids.
• Have complex medical needs
• Do not have a stable, supportive environment.

If your withdrawal is likely to be mild, you don’t use multiple substances, and you have strong supports, you might attend outpatient detox. During outpatient detox in Las Vegas, you attend regular sessions at a treatment center but stay in your own home and can tend to your daily responsibilities outside of treatment.^{6, 7}

In 2020, there were 109 substance use treatment centers in the state of Nevada, caring for 11,573 people.¹⁸ Of these centers, 9 offered hospital inpatient detox services, 11 offered non-hospital inpatient treatment, and 28 offered outpatient detox services.¹⁸ American Addiction Centers (AAC) has a medical detox facility in Las Vegas, as well as centers across the country, making it easy to get treatment wherever you are.

What Medicines Are Used in Benzo Detox?

During benzo detox, it is common to taper your current benzodiazepine. To taper means to slowly reduce the dose over a period of a few weeks, depending on which benzo you take.^{2, 7, 17} Another approach is to substitute one benzo for another and then taper that drug. If you take a short-acting benzodiazepine, your care team may switch you to a long-acting benzo.^{2, 7} If you already take a long-acting benzo, you may be switched to a different one with a lower risk of misuse and withdrawal symptoms.^{7, 17}

Phenobarbital, a barbiturate, is also sometimes used in the substitution and taper approach, especially for patients with high-dose benzo dependence or people who use multiple substances.

Your care team may also use other medicines that, while not FDA-approved for benzo withdrawal, can help ease or prevent certain withdrawal symptoms. These can include:^{7, 19}

• Anti-seizure medicines, such as carbamazepine, gabapentin, or sodium valproate.
• Sedating antidepressants such as trazodone.
• Antihistamines such as hydroxyzine to help with anxiety and insomnia.

It’s important to remember that while these medicines can help you through withdrawal, detox is rarely enough on its own to support long term abstinence from substances of abuse. While detox can clear your body of substances, it doesn’t address the underlying issues that led to addiction.⁶ To maintain long-term recovery, many people find it helpful to attend additional addiction treatment, such as drug rehab or peer support groups, after detox.⁶

Does Insurance Cover Benzodiazepine Detox in Nevada?

Per the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most insurance have to cover addiction and behavioral health care at the same levels as medical care.²⁰ This includes inpatient and outpatient detox and drug rehab treatment in Nevada, and treatment medicines.²⁰ But how much of the cost insurance will cover depends on your plan.

Finding Benzo Detox Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada

Detox services are important, but especially for benzos, since withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening.^{5, 7} Most people who want to stop using benzos will benefit from the oversight offered by a medical detox, as there are many factors that can complicate withdrawal..⁷ AAC offers medical detox and supervised withdrawal management in Las Vegas as well as across the country, so you can start your journey to recovery no matter where you live. Call our free detox hotline at  or text us for more information about treatment.