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Protracted Withdrawal
• Some patients may experience withdrawal symptoms that
continue after fully stopping benzodiazepines. This is known
as protracted withdrawal.
• Common symptoms include anxiety, depression, memory
problems, sleep disturbances, muscle cramping or twitching,
and others (detailed in Figure 2).
• Some patients may also experience neurological symptoms
including difficulty with memory and focus, sensitivity to
lights and sounds, strange skin sensations, and ringing in the
ears, among others.
• More research can help us understand:
» How long-term use of benzodiazepines impacts the brain
» How to prevent the development of protracted withdrawal
problems
» Better treatments for these problems
• If you experience withdrawal symptoms more than a month
after discontinuing benzodiazepines, talk with your healthcare
provider about whether you might have protracted withdrawal.
