What are Benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines are a family of prescription drugs that are used mainly to relieve anxiety and to help people sleep. They are sedative drugs, which affect the activity in certain parts of your brain, resulting in a calming effect.

Some people who abuse other drugs use benzodiazepines too, either to enhance the effect of other sedative drugs, such as opioids and alcohol, or to ease the agitation caused by drugs that have stimulant effects, such as ecstasy or cocaine. Taking benzodiazepines in combination with other drugs can be dangerous.

Because they are safer, benzodiazepines have replaced older drugs with similar effects, such as barbiturates. Fourteen benzodiazepines are currently available in Canada, by prescription only.

Click here to read the rest of the The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) “Do You Know” pamphlet on Benzodiazepines.