Sedative Addiction

Unfortunately, it soon became clear the benzos also had a very high potential for both abuse and addiction, and prescribing benzodiazepines to treat sleep-related issues has fallen off in favor of non-benzodiazepine sedatives known as “z drugs,” such as Lunesta, Ambien, and Sonata.

Much like benzos before them, sedatives seemed like the perfect alternative for ensuring a good night’s sleep without the danger of abuse and dependence, to the point where, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in 2016 Ambien was ranked among the top 20 most prescribed drugs in the country.

But it is, in fact, the popular opinion of non-benzo sedatives as “safe” drugs when it comes to treating insomnia that make them almost too easy to end up misusing to the point of physical and psychological dependence. People will make the incorrect assumption that there are no real consequences to sedative misuse and instead suffer potentially serious health problems as a result of sedative abuse.

Even someone taking a sedative as prescribed can start building up a tolerance to z drugs within mere days of consistent use. As someone grows more tolerant and requires a higher dosage of a sedative to achieve the same effects as before, they are more likely to readily abuse them due to the perceived lack of danger.

It takes a startlingly brief amount of regular abuse for someone to develop a full-blown sedative addiction. An individual abusing Lunesta, for example, can transition from sedative abuse to addiction in as little as two weeks. Sedative addiction is not to be taken lightly, and the consequences of long-term, chronic abuse can be severe.

Perhaps the most dangerous side effect of z drugs is that they can stop working and have the opposite effect, worsening someone’s insomnia and requiring them to take a heavier dose each time in order to experience any sedative effects.

Common sedatives include:

How Do Sedatives Work?

Non-benzo sedatives work in a very similar way as their benzodiazepine counterparts, meaning that they enter the brain and bind themselves to a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is responsible for regulating how the body responds to feelings of stress, anxiety, or fear, sending nerve signals to the brain and body in response to stressful situations.

However, even though this process makes them less dangerous than benzos because they do not alter as much GABA, regular abuse of non-benzo sedatives can still be enough to make the brain produce less and less of its own GABA and become dependent on the sedative of abuse to provide it.  

What Are the Effects of Sedative Abuse?

The effects of regular, chronic sedative abuse carry far from the ones that they were intended to produce, and can, in large enough doses, even prove to be deadly. Some of these effects include:

What Are the Signs of Sedative Addiction?

It can sometimes be difficult to spot a growing sedative addiction before it is too late. However, there are a good number of sign and symptoms that point to sedative abuse that is escalating into addiction. These signs can manifest in both physical and psychological ways, including:

As sedative use becomes the driving force behind the majority of someone’s decisions, they will also begin to exhibit certain behaviors that act as clear signs of a growing sedative addiction, as well as a general substance use disorder. Some of these behaviors include:

If you have experienced these signs and behaviors yourself or otherwise observed them in someone you know, know that they are a clear indication of sedative addiction and that you need to seek out professional addiction help and treatment as soon as you are able in order to avoid further abuse and mitigate the psychological and physical damage it may have already caused.

What Is Involved in Sedative Addiction Treatment?

Sedative addiction treatment must begin with detox in order to flush out the z drugs in someone’s system, along with any harmful toxins and substances associated with them. Detox must come first to ensure that someone is sober and fit both physically and psychologically to start their addiction recovery program.

Whether it is done on an outpatient or residential basis, which will generally be determined by the severity of someone’s sedative addiction and whether or not they require medical monitoring, detoxing should always be done with at least some level of intervention and supervision from a professional medical detox center. This both ensures your safety and gives you the highest chance of a successful detox without relapsing.

While it’s true that your body will have flushed out all of the sedatives, this doesn’t do anything to curb the addictive behaviors that led to dependency in the first place, and will only act as a band-aid until the actual underlying issues at the root of your addiction are addressed and understood. An addiction rehabilitation treatment program is crucial to the recovery process and being able to maintain long-term sobriety.

Typically, a client will work with their counselor and the facility staff to customize a treatment plan that will work best for them, choosing from a variety oftreatment programs, including support groups, counseling, anddifferent types oftherapies.

How Dangerous are Sedatives?

As mentioned previously, even just regularly prescribed sedative use can still have dangerous side effects, including:

These side effects also can become magnified when sedatives are abused in excess, especially in unintended ways, such as crushing up tablets and snorting them. For Ambien, in particular, there have been studies that have shown how addiction can lead to many different unpleasant and potentially dangerous unconscious behavior. People misusing Ambien were reported to have bouts of not only sleepwalking but also engaging in sexual activity, cooking, and even driving.

If you experience these symptoms or observe them in someone else then it is imperative that emergency medical assistance be sought out as soon as possible, or the consequences could be fatal, especially in the case of breathing problems, which could lead to someone becoming comatose or even experiencing organ failure due to a lack of oxygen.

Start Your Journey to Recovery Today

If you or someone you care about is suffering from a dependence on sedatives and ready to take first steps towards recovery and a better, sober tomorrow, The Palm Beach Institute can help. We offer medical detox treatment with a seamless transition into ongoing care through to our post-treatment alumni program.