Features Research Reviews Phytotherapy aids in benzodiazepine withdrawal .Based on previous research and the author's own experience treating more than 500 patients at a medical detoxification unit in Auckland, New Zealand, this well-referenced paper discusses the use of herbs in the management of benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. Dizziness, headache, tinnitus, tremor, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal upset, and perceptual disturbances are also common. The therapeutic strategy used at the clinic is intended to help alleviate acute withdrawal symptoms while providing supportive treatment for underlying problems such as anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
Most clients receive concomitant treatment with conventional medications.
Part of the author's rationale for using these plants is that some of them contain constituents shown to act as agonists at the central benzodiazepine receptors in a manner similar to the drugs themselves. Part II of this article will deal with the use of herbs in alleviating symptoms of opiate drug withdrawal. The European Journal of Herbal Medicine , Vol.