Benzodiazepine dependency discontinuation: focus on the chemical dependency detoxification setting and benzodiazepine-polydrug abuse.

Benzodiazepines are commonly encountered in both psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment settings. However, in the chemical dependency setting, benzodiazepines are most frequently used as secondary drugs of abuse, and are most often found within a polydrug use pattern. Benzodiazepine use by the drug-abusing population consists of the combined use of benzodiazepines with other psychoactive drugs. They are used to medicate cocaine toxicity, as a secondary or tertiary drug to boost the effects of alcohol or heroin, and by those who have developed tolerance and dependence to sedative-hypnotic drugs. The presence of an anxiety disorder, a family history of addiction, or benzodiazepine polydrug use will significantly affect the type of withdrawal a patient will experience and its treatment course. Medical procedures accepted for benzodiazepine discontinuation include (1) graded reduction; (2) substitution of a long-acting benzodiazepine; and (3) phenobarbital substitution.