Because phenytoin may lower blood pressure, the patient's heart should be monitored during treatment. They relieve withdrawal symptoms and make it easier for patients to remain in treatment. The drugs may be administered intravenously or orally, depending on the severity of symptoms. To prevent seizures, the physician may give the patient an initial, or loading, dose of the long-acting drug diazepam with additional doses given every one to two hours thereafter over the period of withdrawal. This regimen can cause very heavy sedation.
Some physicians question the use of any anti-anxiety medication for mild withdrawal symptoms.
Others believe that repeated withdrawal episodes, even mild forms, that are inadequately treated may result in increasingly severe episodes with seizures and possible brain damage. Benzodiazepines are usually not prescribed for more than two weeks or administered for more than three nights per week. Tolerance to these drugs may develop after as little as four weeks of daily use. Physical dependence may develop after just three months of normal dosage. Some patients experience withdrawal symptoms from the drugs, including stomach distress, sweating, and insomnia, that can last from one to three weeks.