ADVOCACY
STREET BENZOS : CLINICAL MANAGEMENT THAT ' S FIT FOR PURPOSE
For its latest column , Release teams up with national charity WithYou to discuss how to better support people in treatment for so-called ‘ street benzos ’. It ’ s time for a new approach , say Dr Kate Blazey and Shayla Schlossenberg
This is what we know from a clinical perspective . Drugs and alcohol charity WithYou is seeing people in treatment services with unexpectedly high levels of benzodiazepine dependence , rendering this group more vulnerable to , among other harms , overdosing . The high levels of dependence have also created uncertainty amongst clinicians about how to respond .
It ’ s believed that these high levels of dependence are caused by street benzos ; pills sold illicitly under names such as Valium or Xanax but often containing other – often more potent – substances . In this article , a ‘ novel benzo ’ refers to a completely new benzo that has entered the illicit supply . ‘ Street benzo ’ is used for benzos that have been in the supply for a while , and are more established .
To provide better treatment to people who detox from street benzos as well as reduce the risk of overdoses and deaths ,
WithYou ’ s clinical team has discussed how benzodiazepine can be prescribed during street benzo detoxification .
NICK ' S STORY Release initially shared Nick ’ s * story ( DDN , July / August , page 18 ) to raise awareness about the need to adapt the clinical treatment offered to people detoxing from street benzos . Nick approached Release while dependent on street benzos , mainly diazepam . On at least one occasion , he had taken the street benzo bromazolam ( thinking he had bought diazepam ). While less is known about street benzos , many are more potent , which can increase the risk of overdose and death . Later in treatment , Nick was only offered a diazepam prescription for a short time — at a dose much lower than the amount which would be equivalent to his daily benzodiazepine use at the time — affecting his ability to detox in a meaningful way . Unable to convince his clinician to nadia _ bormotova / iStock
14 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • DEC 2023 – JAN 2024 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM