What is the use of benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are also minor tranquillisers, usually prescribed by doctors to relieve stress and anxiety and to help people sleep. They can also be used to treat alcohol withdrawal and epilepsy. However, medical professionals have become concerned about their risks, particularly when they are used for a long time.
What are the side effects of benzodiazepines?
The most common side effects of benzodiazepines include:
- drowsiness.
- light-headedness.
- confusion.
- unsteadiness (especially in older people, who may fall and experience injuries)
- dizziness.
- slurred speech.
- muscle weakness.
- memory problems.
What is Xanax used for?
Alprazolam is used to treat anxiety disorders and panic disorder (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks). Alprazolam is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.
Why do doctors prescribe benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders, as well as a number of primary medical conditions. However, they are often prescribed to patients who either do not have a clear indication1 or have poor indications such as depression.
What do benzodiazepines do to the brain?
How Benzodiazepines Initially Affect The Brain. Benzodiazepines tranquilize and sedate the brain. In other words, taking this medication slows down activity in the central nervous system. This happens because benzodiazepines increase the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, in the brain.
What are the effects of Xanax?
Xanax works by increasing the effects of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which promotes calmness and produces a relaxed feeling. The drug decreases the level of excitement in the brain to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
Can benzodiazepines cause depression?
These medications also cause disinhibition, which can result in behavioral problems and risk-taking activities. Evidence is accumulating that chronic use of benzodiazepines is associated with depression, cognitive impairment and an increased incidence of developing dementia.
Do benzodiazepines affect memory?
Benzodiazepines, shown to affect memory, can produce anterograde amnesia (i.e., a loss of memory for events occurring forward in time). Following the ingestion of a benzodiazepine, short-term memory is not affected, but long-term memory is impaired.
Do benzodiazepines improve mood?
Benzodiazepines are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world. These sedative-hypnotics can provide rapid relief for symptoms like anxiety and insomnia, but are also linked to a variety of adverse effects (whether used long-term, short-term, or as needed).
What part of the brain do benzodiazepines affect?
The highest densities of benzodiazepine receptors in human brain were localized in cortical and hippocampal areas, nucleus accumbens, amygdala and mammillary bodies. Intermediate densities were found in the basal ganglia and thalamic and hypothalamic nuclei.
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