Stress, anxiety, insomnia … the psychological effects of confinement have led many people to turn to benzodiazepines. However, these drugs present a significant risk of dependence. The advice of a psychiatrist and a phytotherapist to say stop to the anxieties without having recourse to these drugs.
The latest figures available date from 2015, but they are eloquent: that year, more than one in 10 people used a benzodiazepine at least once. It was an anxiolytic benzodiazepine in 10.3% of cases (Xanax, Lexomil, Tranxene, Seresta, etc.) and a hypnotic in 5.6% of cases (more commonly known as sleeping pills, marketed under the names of Stilnox, Noctamide, or Havana). Worse, from data from a large sample of the population, the team of an addictologist psychiatrist at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital showed that 2.8% of men and 3.8% of women used it for more than three months. However, underlines the psychiatrist, “it should be about the maximum duration of treatment because, aside from a few extremely rare exceptions, there is no medical reason to take these medications for an extended period.
BENZODIAZEPINES DO NOT TREAT CHRONIC INSOMNIA
“While benzodiazepines are prescription medications, but many patients still self-medicate. They use old boxes previously prescribed or loved drugs”, said Dr. Airagnes. Essential advice: respect the indication for which these drugs are made: benzodiazepines do not treat chronic anxiety or insomnia. They are also not effective in depression and can make some symptoms worse.
On the other hand, they can be used in certain severe anxious and reactive manifestations, for example, following a bereavement or a separation, but “in all the cases, it must be for specific and temporary situations and the benzodiazepines must not be prescribed of the automatic way: other therapeutic strategies less likely to cause undesirable effects can be used, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or relaxation practices “, indicates our expert.
A RISK OF DEPENDENCE
However, if your doctor prescribes benzodiazepines, be aware of the risks: do not drive and watch for any signs of addiction. “Patients often do not feel that they are addicted because not all of them need to increase the doses and because, when they temporarily stop their treatment, the withdrawal symptoms resemble the symptoms for which they are treated: their anxiety increases, they sleep less well, they are then comforted in the idea that their drug is effective and essential “, details the psychiatrist. Keep in mind the idea that this is a one-off treatment, which must be stopped early from the start of treatment.
HOW TO WEAN?
Unlike other addictive substances, there is no substitution treatment for this class of drugs. Nevertheless, “if you take several benzodiazepines, your doctor may, for example, offer you first of replacing these different treatments by a single molecule to stabilize your consumption,” said Dr. Airagnes. The dosage will then be reduced very gradually. ” It could take weeks or even months “, specifies the psychiatrist.
If withdrawal symptoms appear, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor: he may suggest that you slow down the withdrawal by going back to the next level. Take the opportunity to improve your lifestyle (better diet, increase or resumption of physical activity) and take charge of other addictive behaviors such as smoking.
WHAT PLANTS TO SAY STOP TO ANXIETY?
To find calm, appeasement, and say stop to anxieties, Pascale Gélis-Imbert, doctor of pharmacy, specialized in herbal medicine and aromatherapy, advises turning to hawthorn. It has been used since ancient times to calm heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and dizziness. In the 16th century, it was recommended for anxious and nervous people. At the end of the 19th century, its properties on the heart were discovered by two Americans: it decreases the frequency of heartbeats and increases their contractibility. At the same time, a phytotherapist discovered that it regulates the heartbeat and relieves anxiety and insomnia. (see how to use it in the slideshow above).
Other interesting plants to calm anxiety and reduce sleep disorders:
Passionflower, to sleep like a flower.
Always used by the Aztecs for its sedative properties, the “passion flower” calms anxiety and irritability, reduces sleep disorders or even hypertension generated by emotionality. In aromatherapy, it is in powder or dry extract that its stem and leaf are used (the flower is of little interest).
Motherwort, to relax.
This classic of Chinese medicine calms palpitations due to stress, reduces anxiety and nervousness. It also reduces period pain and can even trigger it if it is delayed for emotional reasons. Flowers and leaves, fresh or dry, infused, three times a day.
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