5
Withdrawal Symptoms
Reduced Brain Activity
Benzodiazepines reduce activity in your brain. In the short
term this can decrease anxiety, help you sleep, and prevent
seizures. With regular use, benzodiazepines consistently
reduce brain activity.
When you develop tolerance, your benzodiazepine receptors
are less able to reduce brain activity. If you stop taking the
benzodiazepine abruptly, your brain activity will be higher than
normal. This can cause withdrawal symptoms, which can be
severe (see Figure 2).
Developing Tolerance
In response to this reduction in activity, your brain tries to
regain its natural balance. It does this by reducing the number of
benzodiazepine receptors or their effects when activated. Think
of this as turning up the dial of brain activity. This is how your
brain develops tolerance to benzodiazepine medication, such
that a higher dose may be needed to have the same effect.
FIGURE 1. BENZODIAZEPINE EFFECTS ON BRAIN
Natural Balance
Your brain has a natural balance of activity. It tries to maintain this
balance by adjusting how it responds to different stimuli. Think of
this as turning the dial up or down to come back to balance.
