What you should know about benzodiazepine withdrawal
Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be highly impactful and challenging to experience. Your loved one may experience a range of withdrawal symptoms throughout their reduction including:
- fatigue
- sleep disturbance
- anxiety
- irritability and anger
- low mood
- changes to appetite
- changes to libido and sexual function
- difficulties remembering things
- difficulties concentrating.
Supporting your loved one during their reduction
It's important to acknowledge that your loved one may struggle to easily engage in the activities that they did before such as socialising, exercising and even completing daily tasks or attending work.
Your loved one may also experience increased irritability, mood swings and interpersonal difficulties during their reduction.
Support and communication between you and your loved one as they undertake benzodiazepine reduction is important. It may be stressful to think about how to communicate with your loved one about benzodiazepine withdrawal and the impacts this may have on your relationship.
Who you can talk to
Reconnexion's volunteers provide support and general information about benzodiazepine withdrawal to family and friends of people who are dependent on benzodiazepines.
Taking care of yourself is helping your loved one too
Throughout withdrawal your loved one may require your help more than usual in many different domains of life. It's important to acknowledge that helping others can also deplete our own resources and may lead to compassion fatigue and burnout.
Things that can help:
- Staying connected with your own friends and family.
- Practicing self-care such as self-compassion, yoga or meditation.
- Making time for yourself through exercise and eating well.
- Taking time to connect with the activities that you enjoy.
