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Barbiturates Research Paper

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Running Head: INTERPRETATION OF BENZIODIAZEPINE ABUSE
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A Student’s Interpretation of Benzodiazepine Abuse
Neil Baldock
Seattle Central College

INTERPRETATION OF BENZIODIAZEPINE ABUSE
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A Student’s Interpretation of Benzodiazepine Abuse
This is a student’s interpretation and presentation of current information on the drug
Alprazolam, a popular drug in the family of prescription sedative medications known as the benzodiazepines. This class of drugs was developed as a sedative-hypnotic, central nervous system depressant, for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. The first versions of these drugs trace back to the 1860s, when barbiturates were developed from the barbituric acid molecule.
These proved so popular with doctors and patients that …show more content…

It is effective for the relief of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. In the addiction realm, it is often prescribed to ease addicts who are detoxifying through the worst throes of withdrawal, when cravings are highest and the physical effects are most challenging. Because the medication is addictive, most prescriptions are for short term or infrequent use. It is also helpful for patients suffering from identifiable trauma, to help manage and diminish the day to day impact of the underlying traumatic event. There is also a place for its use as an anti-seizure agent. The drug in many of these contexts is highly efficacious. Non-Medical Use
Non-medical use happens in two ways.One common route is with users who were first prescribed Alprazolam by a doctor, and who appreciated the effects of the medication too much.
In short, healthy medical use, under the care of a physician or psychiatrist, morphs into self- medication or recreational abuse, with abuse defined as the improper use of a substance. The other common route for non-medical use is recreational. The emotional and physical effects …show more content…

A Prevention Model
The only prevention model found for this drug is knowledge and awareness. It would seem from the statistics cited earlier that current efforts to curtail abuse have not borne fruit. The celebrity deaths, plethora of Internet resources, and even warnings from physicians to patients about abuse potential have not been sufficient to deter a demographic that one would think would be susceptible to a good health information campaign. More needs to be done.
SAMHSA’s chief medical officer, Dr. Edward M. Case-Katz, suggests:
Physicians and prescribers must inform patients of the potential risks of drug interaction that can result in serious adverse events, even death. Health care providers and patients must work together to ensure that prescription medications are taken in a way that maximizes benefits and diminishes risk” (“Combining
Benzodiazepines With Other Substances, 2014, n.p.).
In addition to Katz’s suggestion, another route to fewer benzodiazepine prescriptions would be for physicians and psychiatrists to make drug intervention a last resort for mood disorders, instead of a first resort. This would require a rethinking of such issues as

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