Treating Benzodiazepine Withdrawal in a Bridge Clinic
Authors: Laks Jordana , Kim Theresa W. , Christine Paul J. , Evans James , Farrell Natalija M. , Kehoe Jessica , Younkin Morgan , Taylor Jessica L. 
Published: June 2024

Background

Benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths are rising, driven by increasing use of nonprescribed benzodiazepine pills. For patients who wish to stop nonprescribed benzodiazepine use, rapid inpatient tapers are typically the only option to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal. Substance use disorder bridge clinics can provide the high-touch care needed to manage outpatient benzodiazepine tapers in patients at high risk due to other substance use disorders.

Objective

Describe the implementation and short-term outcomes of an outpatient benzodiazepine taper protocol to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal in a substance use disorder bridge clinic.

Methods

The clinical team developed a 4- to 6-week intensive outpatient taper protocol using diazepam. Patients with benzodiazepine use disorder were eligible if they had benzodiazepine withdrawal, lacked a prescriber, wanted to stop benzodiazepines completely, and agreed to daily visits. For patients who initiated a taper between April 2021 and December 2022, we evaluated the proportion of patients who completed a taper (i.e., tapered to a last prescribed dose of diazepam 10 mg/d or less); likelihood of remaining on the taper over time; and seizure, overdose, or death documented at the study institution during or within 1 month of taper completion or discontinuation. Other secondary outcomes included HIV testing and prevention, hepatitis C testing, and referrals to recovery coaching or psychiatry.

Results

Fifty-four patients initiated a total of 60 benzodiazepine tapers. The population was mostly male (61%) and non-Hispanic White (85%). Nearly all patients had opioid use disorder (96%), and most (80%) were taking methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorder before starting the taper. Patients reported using multiple substances in addition to benzodiazepines, most commonly fentanyl (75%), followed by cocaine (41%) and methamphetamine (21%). Fourteen patients (23%) completed a taper with a median duration of 34 days (IQR 27.8–43.5). Most tapers were stopped when the patient was lost to follow-up (57%), or the team recommended inpatient care (18%). Two patients had a seizure, and 4 had a presumed opioid-involved overdose during or within 1 month after the last taper visit, all individuals who did not complete a taper. No deaths occurred during or within 1 month of taper completion or discontinuation. Challenges included frequent loss to follow-up in the setting of other unstable substance use. Patients received other high-priority care during the taper including HIV testing (32%), PrEP initiation (6.7%), hepatitis C testing (30%), and referrals to recovery coaches (18%) and psychiatry (6.7%).

Conclusions

Managing benzodiazepine withdrawal with a 4- to 6-week intensive outpatient taper in patients with benzodiazepine and opioid use disorders is challenging. More work is needed to refine patient selection, balance safety risks with feasibility, and study long-term, patient-centered outcomes.