Benzodiazepine Resources
Welcome — we’re so glad you found us.
If you’re here, you may be feeling overwhelmed, frightened, and unsure of where to turn. Please know you’re not alone. We’ve been through it ourselves, and we understand just how difficult and confusing this journey can feel. What you’re experiencing — though intense and unsettling — is temporary. With time, your nervous system will begin to recover, and things will start to feel more manageable. Before making any decisions, we encourage you to pause, breathe, and take the time to develop an informed plan. We caution against abrupt cessation.
To help you find your way forward, a good place to begin is the Start Here section. Click on the orange buttons on this page to jump to a list of carefully selected resources. After viewing the list, you can return to the tiles by clicking the orange button. Links in this list include resources for individuals coping with benzodiazepine withdrawal/BIND as well as their caregivers/friends/families. It is also a useful reference for medical, clinical, research, and peer professionals with an interest in serving those withdrawing from benzodiazepines and/or experiencing BIND. We hope you find this helpful; we ask you to share it and offer suggestions on how we can improve and/or add to it. Links will be tested and updated regularly, but if you have any questions, please email our team at SOP.Consortium@cuanschutz.edu
Disclaimer: This webpage was created to provide general information to those affected by benzodiazepine withdrawal/BIND and their caregivers. The Consortium is not responsible for the content or accuracy posted and shall not be responsible for any decisions made based on such information. Listings on this page are not endorsed by the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, the Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, the University of Colorado, or its affiliates.
General Information
Understanding Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are a class of central nervous system depressants that enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABA-A receptor site resulting in a sedative hypnotic reaction. This can produce sedative, anti-anxiety, muscle-relaxing, and amnestic effects.
Commonly prescribed for conditions like anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal, and seizure emergencies, benzodiazepines are also used in surgical settings for their sedative properties.
While effective in the short term, these medications carry a high risk of physical dependence. For this reason, some guidelines recommend limiting use to no more than 2-4 weeks.
Dependence and Withdrawal
Physical dependence can develop quickly — sometimes within days or weeks — even when the medication is taken exactly as prescribed. This occurs as the body adapts to the drug’s presence. Key signs of dependence include:
- Tolerance (needing more of the drug to achieve the same effect)
- Withdrawal symptoms
These are normal physiological responses to medications that affect the central nervous system.
However, not everyone who uses benzodiazepines will develop dependence, and we don’t fully understand why some people are more vulnerable than others. More research is needed in this area.
What Is BIND?
The Benzodiazepine Nosology Workgroup defines Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) as “a constellation of functionally limiting neurologic symptoms (both physical and psychological) that are the consequence of neuroadaptation and/or neurotoxicity to benzodiazepine exposure. These symptoms may begin while taking or tapering benzodiazepines, and can persist for weeks, months, or even years after discontinuation.”
Various terms have been used to identify this condition, which has helped to create some of the
confusion surrounding its causes and symptoms. Some are listed here:
- Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome (BWS)
- Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome
- Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
While the terminology varies, the underlying issue is the same: a prolonged, sometimes debilitating set of symptoms that can affect daily functioning long after the medication is no longer in the body.
If you’re navigating this experience, please take heart. Healing is possible. With time, support, and the right information, people go on to recover and reclaim their lives.
Start Here: Benzo Essentials
- BIND information
- BIC’s the difference between addiction and physical dependence
- The Effects of Benzodiazepines on the Nervous System and Body (CO Consortium)
- BIC Detox, Cold Turkey, Abrupt Cessation
- BIC Tapering Strategies and Solutions
Benzo Support Organizations
- The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices (Alliance)
- Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (BIC)
- Uneven Community
- Benzo Warrior Community (BWC)
Navigating Tapering and Withdrawal
- BIC’s Benzodiazepine Cooperative Providers List
- BIC Older Adults and Benzodiazepines
- When Tapering Benzodiazepines, Plan for the Long Game
- Blog on BIND Symptoms
- Which Drug to Taper First
- Restabilizing your nervous system
- BIND: The Patient Experience (CO Consortium)
Provider and Patient Education
General information for prescribers and patients
- BIC’s Patient/Healthcare Provider Informed Consent Form
- Benzodiazepine Informed Consent Tool (Alliance)
- FDA Draft defining terms
- FDA 2020 Box Warning
- Book: The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines by Mark Horowitz and David Taylor
- ASAM Joint Clinical Deprescribing Guidelines on Benzodiazepine Tapering
- The Ashton Manual
- Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring’s TaperClinic Free Training
- World Health Organization 2023 Guidelines (pages 25-26) – Benzos not recommended for tx anxiety disorders
Video modules
For Continuing Medical Education credits
- Benzodiazepine Focused x3 Continuing Medical Education (CME) Modules (CO Consortium) – must register on the icompass platform to receive free CMEs for completed modules
Past CME videos (credit not available at this time)
- Benzos: Boon or Blunder Training (CO Consortium) – no CMEs available
- Safe Prescribing of Benzodiazepines, Lessons learned from the Opioid Epidemic Training (CO Consortium) – no CMEs available
- Consequences of Prescription Benzodiazepine Use & At-Risk Populations (CO Consortium) – no CMEs available
Resources of Hope: Support for Crisis and Suicidal Ideation
- Wildflower Alliance Alternatives to Suicide
- Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Resources that Don’t Involve the Police, 911 or 988
- A directory of warmlines in the U.S.
▼ Click here if you want to know more about warmlines
ABOUT WARMLINES
For those who are having big feelings and looking for someone to talk to, there are “warmlines” that do not keep records on callers and will not notify the police about SI. For those who struggle daily, these can be a good alternative to standard crisis lines. The limitations are that most do not offer round-the-clock services, and some are only for local callers, so you may need to take some time to figure out exactly what is available. For example, the Wildflower Alliance (out of Western MA) offers a warmline with compassionate peer support by other psych drug survivors.
“A warmline is a phone number you call to have a conversation with someone who can provide support during hard times. Whether you’re in crisis or just need someone to talk to, a warmline can help. Warmlines are staffed by trained peers who have been through their own mental health struggles and know what it’s like to need help.
Warmlines are free and confidential. They’re different from crisis lines or hotlines like the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which are more focused on keeping you safe in the moment and getting you connected to crisis resources as quickly as possible. (That doesn’t mean you can’t call a warmline when you’re in crisis—a warmline may even be able to help you find the best place to go for crisis resources, or help you mentally prepare to seek out more formal treatment.)
If you are in crisis and a warmline can’t provide the level of support you need, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or using the chat box at 988lifeline.org. You can also text “MHA” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU CALL
Most states in the US have warmlines. If possible, it’s a good idea to call a warmline in your state or in another state nearby. If there’s no warmline in your state or if you feel uncomfortable calling a local line, many warmlines do accept calls from all over the country.
While many warmlines are available 24/7, some are open only on certain days and times. Please note: all times of operation are listed according to the time zones where each warmline is located. If you call a warmline in a different timezone, pay attention to the change in time.
Some warmlines have limits on the amount of time you can call. For example, they might tell you up-front that they can only speak to you for an hour. Others have unlimited time and do not stop conversations until you are ready.
When you call, they might ask for some information, like where you are calling from.”
https://screening.mhanational.org/content/need-talk-someone-warmlines/?layout=mhats,mhats4a
Peer Support
- What You Should Know About Benzos: Harms, Healing & Peer Support training (CO Consortium)
- Peer Support Guidance Document (CO Consortium)
Caregivers and Families
- 6 Ways to Talk to Your Child about Illness (for Adults)
- Talking with Children about Parental Mental Health Difficulties (for Adults)
- Jenn Leigh’s video for caregivers
- Easing Anxiety’s caregiver blog: For the Benzo Caregiver
- Book: Loving Someone Through Benzo Withdrawal
- Children’s Book: The Invisible String (a book parents and adult caregivers can use with children when families can’t be together for reasons of death, illness, or separation)
Media
Research
News
- Psychology Today Article on the BIND Paper
- Wall Street Journal Generation Xanax: The Dark Side of America’s Wonder Drug
- Study Highlights consequences of Chronic Benzodiazepine Use – VUMC News July 19, 2023
- Radio Canada’s Prescription Nightmare (English Version)
- The Telegraph: Sleeping pills ruined my life – and my GP didn’t warn me
- Washington Post: What patients — and doctors — should know about ‘benzo’ withdrawal