Article by Rod MacTaggart

Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin are three of the most widely addicting or abused prescription drugs of the benzodiazepine family of central nervous system depressants. Each drug has a different set of addictive properties, side-effects and withdrawal symptoms, but they are all addictive and can be dangerous to stop taking abruptly. The safest and best approach to get off Xanax, Ativan or Klonopin is a medically supervised drug detox.

First, let’s look at the similarities among the three drugs. All are members of the benzodiazepine family, which means they all act on the central nervous system (CNS) to depress, or slow down, the activity in specific brain cells. All three drugs are routinely prescribed for anxiety attacks, as well as other symptoms that, theoretically, benefit from “slowed down” nerve impulses – muscles relax, one’s mind seems more at ease, things don’t upset us as much, and so on.

The problem with all three drugs are some nasty side-effects, the drugs can lead to dependence or addiction if taken too long, and getting off them can be difficult and even dangerous without a properly supervised drug detox. We would need another whole page just to cover the side-effects that people might experience while taking these drugs, never mind the withdrawal symptoms after you stop taking them unless a proper medical drug detox program is followed.

Xanax (alprazolam) is prescribed for moderate to severe anxiety, tremor, panic attacks and other kinds of convulsive behavior. It was licensed by the FDA for use up to 8 weeks, but doctors are cautioned not to prescribe it for longer than 2 to 4 weeks because it will likely become addictive. Withdrawal from Xanax can create agitation, panic attacks, anxiety, muscle cramps and seizures which can, if not handled through carefully monitored drug detox, lead to death.

Ativan (lorazepam) is a powerful, fast-acting CNS depressant prescribed for short term treatment of insomnia, severe anxiety, convulsive conditions, or to ease alcoholism withdrawal symptoms or chemotherapy side-effects. Dependence on or addiction to Ativan is relatively high compared to other benzodiazepines, happening in as little as one week. Doctors are cautioned to prescribe Ativan only short-term, and at the smallest effective dose. Ativan withdrawal symptoms can be very bad, so a medically supervised drug detox is absolutely necessary when addiction has occurred.

Ativan’s withdrawal symptoms, depending on the addicted person, can include one or more of headaches, anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, restlessness, confusion, irritability, sweating, dizziness, depersonalization, numbness/tingling of extremities, hypersensitivity to light, sound and smell, perceptual distortions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, hallucinations, delirium, seizures, tremor, stomach cramps, muscle pain, agitation, palpitations and rapid heartbeat, panic attacks, short-term memory loss, and overheating. You can see why a drug detox is needed, closely supervised medical professionals and ideally in an inpatient setting.

Klonopin (clonazepam) is usually prescribed for epilepsy, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, or “restless legs syndrome.” Withdrawal from Klonopin can cause most of the same symptoms as with Ativan, meaning a medically supervised drug detox simply must be performed. In fact, sudden withdrawal after longer-term use can cause severe, even fatal, symptoms. Klonopin withdrawal includes anxiety, irritability, insomnia, panic attacks, tremors and seizures, depression, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), numbness/tingling in limbs, muscle pain and tension, weakness, cramps, tremors, irritable bowel, and cognitive impairment – basically, you can’t think straight.

As we can see, addiction to any of these three powerful drugs requires a medically supervised drug detox to safely recover normal mind and body functions. If you or someone you know has become dependent on their prescription for Xanax, Ativan or Klonopin, make sure they do not stop taking the drug abruptly. As soon as possible, get that person into a medically supervised prescription drug addiction detox program.

A discussion of my use of benzodiazepines and subsequent withdrawal.
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