Why are benzo's so addictive?

[detpiston7788]

I been on ativan .05 mg's for like 3 months now, only taken it if i have a bad day or before i sleep.. Im not addicted to them, but i've heard of people being addicted to xanax, and other benzo's..  How are they addictive? Just wondering. And is it really bad to drink while on these meds?  I know someone who would "Get wasted" and take adtivan at the same time...I dont fell its a good idea.. how are people still alive regardless after doing that??

[cnote]

My therapist won't prescribe Xanax but will prescribe Ativan. I also take .5mg when needed. I've been taking them for about a month now. I've gone off and on them so many times. They are very mild. So I wouldn't worry about being addicted. There's a difference between mental addiction and physical addiction. People can become addicted to them if they tend to have an addictive personality or drug abuse history... And of course if they abuse the benzo.

Physical addiction is when your body has become dependent chemically. Kind of like smoking cigarettes... Once you do it enough your body becomes dependent on nicotine.

But I wouldn't worry too much about Ativan espesially that small of a dose. You'll be fine.

[cnote]

Oh, and do not drink while taking any kind of benzo. I've 4 guys out of my graduating town died from that.  And a girl I went to school with died this year too. So don't do it.

[RCA759I]

The simplest answer to your question is...Benzodiazepines alter brain chemistry. They bind to the alpha receptor subunits of the neurotransmitter GABA, and modulate (open) chloride channels. This facilitates greater usage of preexisting GABA, but Benzodiazepines do not increase GABA levels in the brain (contrary to popular belief).

When Benzodiazepines (any of them) are used in excess of several months, the receptor sites that they bind to become "lazy", and normal production of GABA is halted, as the Benzodiazepine assumes the role of this function. When withdrawn, the affected receptors do not immediately resume normal firing (functioning), and this leads to a temporary deficiency in the utilization of GABA (rebound symptoms, withdrawal). This is the reason why Benzodiazepines induce physical dependency. The issue of tolerance (need to increase the dosage to achieve the same effect) has nothing to do with GABA (also contrary to popular belief), and has everything to do with *metabolism*. Eventually, the pathway (typically liver enzyme CYP3A4) responsible for metabolizing the drug produces more enzyme or anti-enzymes to counteract the affect of the drug. The body senses Benzodiazepines as foreign objects that do not belong there, and attempts to compensate for their presence by speeding up their metabolism and excretion. This results in decreased peak plasma levels and loss of efficacy. Tolerance occurs more quickly with the short-acting agents (Ativan, Serax and Xanax), as they are very rapidly metabolized to begin with. The longer-acting agents (Klonopin, Librium, Tranxene and Valium) are metabolized far more slowly, and tolerance is less of an issue. However, dependency is just as high for the reasons noted above (alteration of brain chemistry). Of the four, the risk of tolerance is the lowest with Librium.

Ryan