The Effects Of Benzodiazepines Live
It is 10:30 p.m. and I just took a 0.50 mg alprazolam. It is not a very strong dose, but I am not used to this type of medicine and the effect is more intense. Alprazolam belongs to the benzodiazepine family and is indicated to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
What I have just ingested is absolutely nothing strange when you know that modern society is over-medicalized. But I want to note the immediate mental, emotional and behavioral effects this drug causes. Because the effects of benzodiazepines are multiple and depend on each person.
Benzodiazepines reduce abnormal arousal in the brain. So I took the opportunity to take one because I feel a little agitated lately. I will write down whatever I feel when I consider the effects to be at their peak. I took the medicine by putting it under my tongue and letting it slowly dissolve. But I ended up drinking the water because it was very bitter.
Mental and emotional effects of benzodiazepines
It is 10:50 p.m. The effects of benzodiazepines are already being felt. I feel a little calmer. A calm which, little by little, translates into sleep. I could lie down and fall asleep instantly. I could also go out into the street for a bit of a walk, but my reflexes would probably not be as good. And impossible to drive. I could go to work but that would be strange. I have the feeling of being in a movie. I observe what is going on around me but I have the impression of being out of everything.
The noise bothers me. I had to turn down the TV and ask my family to speak less loudly. I have become more sensitive to external stimuli. Even though I’m calmer, everything around me bothers me a lot: noises, lights …
My mental processes take place more slowly. I couldn’t do very complex tasks or maintain a conversation that requires a high level of attention. But I can still act with a certain normality.
Behavioral Effects of Benzodiazepines
I get up to go to the bathroom and I walk slowly. I slowly wash my hands. I watch each movement carefully. I return to the living room and sit down on the sofa. I have my gaze fixed on the screen and a random point around me. My movements are slow.
I’m a little hungry. When people talk to me, I have to make a superhuman effort to be attentive. I’m typing on my keyboard at normal speed but I’m making more mistakes. In general, my psychomotor coordination has slowed down considerably and I would be unable to perform tasks requiring physical or mental strain. As I mentioned above, I couldn’t drive. Neither study or read anything very complex.
How do benzodiazepines work?
According to research conducted to date, I am experiencing a reduction in the transmission of nerve impulses. My cerebral excitement is therefore decreasing. A tranquilizing effect takes place in my nervous system. Since there are also hypnotic effects, I feel like sleeping and I know that I will wake up less at night.
According to this same research, the benzodiazepine that I just took enhances the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), inhibiting the neurons with which it comes into contact in order to decrease the speed of transmission. This is why I am immersed in a state of calm.
I took it from time to time, but about the time at which we have to take this medicine, pharmacology professor at the University of Alcalá, Cecilio Álamo González says “that ‘ they are well tolerated and safe if taken for short periods of time: two to four weeks as prescribed as a narcotic and two to three months if taken as an anxiolytic. They can cause problems if consumed longer. ”
Conclusions
My concerns are still there. They have not disappeared. My mental activity decreased but the problems did not go away. When the effects wear off, I will have to face my demons again. I keep thinking about what worries me, what keeps me from sleeping. With drowsiness, I don’t react as intensely emotionally, but conflict is still very much in me.
Letting drugs resolve our internal conflicts is only a partial solution. The effects of benzodiazepines can help us to calm our excitement, to live more calmly on a daily basis or to lower our level of anxiety, it is true. But if we do not resolve our mental conflicts, we will never achieve the inner peace we so desire.
Our thoughts Alprazolam is the active substance most often prescribed to treat states of anxiety, panic attacks or severe stress. May be…
