Benzodiazepines And Epilepsy - Fast Acting Treatment With Downside
In today’s article, I’m going to be talking about benzodiazepines… I’ll be discussing what they are, which variations exist within this family of drugs, what the upsides/downsides are, and of course… how these drugs can be used to treat epilepsy.
This is also the fourth installment of my series on the various medications that are used to treat epilepsy. So far, I’ve covered Depakote, Keppra, and Topamax. (Which I suggest you check out!) But today is a bit different because I’m talking about an entire family of drugs, rather than one specific brand of medication.
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines is a family of medications that is known for its ability to slow down your nervous system. Which can, in turn, treat anything from mental health conditions to physical things like epilepsy.
But benzos (as they’re sometimes called) also have a reputation for being addictive, which we’ll talk more about later. And this is why it’s oftentimes illegal to have them in your possession with a prescription from a medical professional.
How do benzodiazepines treat epilepsy?
People who have seizures have been found to have faulty GABA (gamma amino-butyric acid) neurotransmitters. And benzodiazepines treat epilepsy by addressing this issue.
Specifically, benzos work by binding to GABA neurotransmitters and aiding them in their natural processes. One of these processes is obviously anticonvulsant activity, so thus, benzos can help control seizures.
What are the types of benzodiazepines?
There’s a lot of variation within the benzo family, but all the different benzos can fall into one of three categories… Long, intermediate, or short-acting. And depending on which category the specific benzo belongs to, there can be different effects.
Long Acting -
Long acting drugs take a while to work, but once they do, they can last for a long period of time. So for instance, you might only have to take one of these benzos once a day.
One example of a long acting benzo is diazepam, which you may know as the brand names “Ducene” and “Valium”.
Intermediate Acting -
Next, we have the intermediate acting benzos. Nitrazepam is the most popular example of this type of benzodiazepine, and the brand names for it include “Alodorm” and “Mogadon”
Intermediate acting benzos obviously fall somewhere in between short acting and long acting drugs. So they take less time than long acting drugs to kick in, but last a shorter amount of time as well.
Short Acting -
Short acting benzos are probably the most popular of all, as they kick in quite quickly. But they’re also known to be the most addictive out of all the benzodiazepines and cause worse withdrawals as well. Plus, they have a more intense “come down” effect than other types of benzos.
Examples of short acting benzos include…
Alprazolam (Brand Names - “Xanax”, “Kalma”, “Alprax”)
Oxazepam (Brand Names - “Alepam”, “Murelax”, “Serepax”)
Temazepam (Brand Names - “Euhypnos”, “Normison”)
What are the downsides and side effects of benzodiazepines?
Now, as with all medications, benzos have a list of drawbacks…
They’re habit forming
They can be hard to get, even with a prescription, because they’re so addictive
They have the potential to kill if you overdose on them, misuse them, or mix them with certain medications or with alcohol
And they slow your nerve signals, meaning that your reaction times could be severely impacted! This can keep some people from driving, or performing certain tasks, even if they were otherwise able to.
Furthermore, it’s extremely important that you don’t use benzos as part of a consistent, long-term treatment plan. Partly because they’re so addictive, but partly because your body will actually build up a tolerance for them over time! Which will eventually lead to you needing larger and larger doses to have the same seizure-managing effect.
My Daughter’s Experience With Benzodiazepines -
The first benzodiazepine that my daughter ever took was diazepam, and more specifically Valium . And the first dose was given to her at the hospital after a tonic clonic, as an emergency medication. They also prescribed a dose of rectal diazepam but thankfully we didn't have to use that.
Shortly after being prescribed Depakote the doctor added lorazepam as her emergency medication instead of diazepam.
Since then, we’ve always had lorazepam on hand as a last resort for when we think a tonic clonic or cluster of seizures might be approaching. But we don't use it often now that her seizures are better controlled.
Aside from lorazepam, she’s also been prescribed clonazepam to help around her cycle and it does seem to help. It's taken as needed and at a very low dose.
I will say that our personal experience with benzos has been positive thus far, and they definitely help keep seizures at bay. But we are very cautious of how often she takes them, and of the doses she takes.
Conclusion
Benzodiazepines can be extremely effective for treating epilepsy and seizures in the short term, but due to the nature of the drugs, they shouldn’t be used for long term treatments! And of course, while you are using these medications, it’s important to avoid anything that interacts negatively with them.
Sources
As always, here are a few of my sources…
https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/benzodiazepines
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24570-benzodiazepines-benzos
https://www.epilepsy.com/recognition/rescue-medications
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/benzodiazepines
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