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Librium Addiction Treatment in New Jersey
Hundreds of drugs that Americans abuse today did not even exist a few years ago. The introduction of the first minor tranquilizers changed how people viewed and used prescription medicines. Their popularity among primary healthcare professionals has also encouraged Americans to decide that it is okay to obtain drugs not necessarily to cure a disease but rather to make themselves feel better living in the world. While there are justifiable reasons for that, what quickly followed this practice was a lifestyle of addiction and overdoses.
Tranquilizers have been recklessly prescribed, aggressively promoted, and carelessly consumed. They are flaunted as a safe and easy way to handle unproductive stress, insomnia, and anxiety. When these drugs came to the limelight 1957, they raked up about thirty-six million prescriptions – with sales above $200 million annually. However, since the 1970s, minor tranquilizers, which included the best-selling benzodiazepine, Librium, have been recast as addictive drugs with potentially fatal consequences.
What is Librium?
Librium was the result of a global race to identify a drug that would outsell the trending tranquilizer – Miltown. The drug, which is dispensed as an oral capsule, was also the first benzodiazepine ever. Organic chemist Leo Sternbach accidentally synthesized Librium (Chlordiazepoxide) in 1955 at the Nutley, New Jersey branch of Swiss-based Hoffman-La Roche. It was less sedating and more potent than the tranquilizers available at the time. When Librium was tested on mice and then lynxes in the San Diego Zoo, it was reported to transform fierce wild cats into tame kittens. Such was the power of this benzodiazepine that many are addicted to today.
Librium Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms
Addiction to Librium does not happen overnight. Rather, it begins when users begin to self-medicate or increase their dosage because they are no longer experiencing the desired effect. Some individuals start using Librium to purposefully get high or to enhance the effects of other drugs. These behaviors have cause many deaths from overdose. Withdrawal from Librium often leads to withdrawal symptoms that are similar to benzodiazepines. These include:
- Anxiety
- Increased heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Sensory hypersensitivity
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Sweating
- Irritability
- Agitation
- Depression
- Seizures
- Insomnia
- Memory loss
The intensity as well as the severity of these symptoms, especially seizures that can be debilitating, makes medically supervised detox very necessary. Our recommended Librium treatment centers in NJ and out-of-state offer a solution to benzodiazepine and tranquilizer abuse.
Find Addiction Treatment for Librium in NJ
The long half-life of Librium is 5 – 30 hours. However, it has a metabolic intermediate with a half-life of 36 – 200 hours. This means that the above withdrawal symptoms may last several days to weeks. Thus, detox usually lasts for a couple of months to help the recovering addict kick the habit for good. Librium detox is a tapering-off program where an experienced therapist slowly steps down the user’s dosage, coaxing their body to gradually readjust. During this process, Librium may be substituted with milder benzo that has a longer half-life, such as Valium, or other non-benzodiazepines. E.g. Clonidine, Propanolol, Melatonin, and Vistaril.
Librium addiction gets in the way of a meaningful, fulfilling life, but with the right treatment, you can win the battle against addiction. Thus, addiction usually calls for inpatient treatment where round-the-clock professional care and support are given. At all of our partner addiction treatment centers, experienced support staff helps an addict through the stages of withdrawal, as well as group and individual therapy to help them understand the root of their addiction. They also learn new strategies for dealing with stressors, triggers and avoiding relapse. If you or a loved one is addicted to Librium, there is help near you in New Jersey and out-of-state. We will be happy to get you the right help for your unique situation.