Content:
- How does a medicine affect the human body?
- Phenazepam can become a drug
- What are the consequences of using high doses of the drug?
- Features of drug pharmacokinetics
- The process of removing Phenazepam
- How doctors detect Phenazepam in the body of a drug addict
The drug "Phenazepam" belongs to the category of benzodiazepines.
Doctors use it as an anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative and relaxant. It is usually prescribed to patients with high levels of anxiety. The medication not only calms, but also gives a feeling of euphoria. Having learned about this, drug addicts began to actively take it. The difficulty is that Phenazepam is addictive even in healthy people. If you drink it for a long time, you will develop an addiction that is no different from a drug addiction. The time it takes to remove Phenazepam from the body is up to five days.
Recreational use
Pathological addiction to benzodiazepine tranquilizers is widespread. Ease of dosing, availability and relatively low price have caused substance abuse not only in sick people, but also in healthy people. Among recreational users, the most common are those addicted to alcohol or drugs.
Clinical picture of substance abuse
It is believed that Phenazepam has a low potential for developing dependence. In practice, the key role is played by individual drug tolerance. Initial recreational dosages are not much different from therapeutic ones - 0.5-1.5 g. The clinic of drug intoxication is characterized by the following symptoms:
- euphoria
- eliminating anxiety, fears
- a good mood
- complacency
- relaxation
- slowing down the speed of perception
- feeling of weightlessness and lightness in the body
- problems with coordination of movements, unsteady gait
- talkativeness
- speech disorders
- paleness of the skin
- weakness
- first liveliness, then drowsiness
- bodily sensations (paresthesia) - a feeling of heat movement, stroking the skin, floating
The effectiveness of the tranquilizer rapidly decreases with prolonged use - tolerance develops. Possible cross-resistance to barbiturates and alcohol. Therefore, the dose required to feel euphoria and “high” can be several times higher than the initial one - more than 4-5 tablets.
Side effects
Undesirable reactions are most characteristic of the initial stage of addiction. The following side effects occur:
- nausea
- dizziness
- hiccups
- sweating
- incoordination of movements
- blurred vision
- sudden mood swings up to anger and aggression
- severe drowsiness
- decreased concentration
- forgetfulness
- excessive muscle weakness
- constipation or diarrhea, urinary incontinence
- decreased libido and erection
- allergic reactions
- fainting due to drop in blood pressure
- slow heartbeat
- with injection - thrombosis, phlebitis (inflammation along the veins), abscesses (suppuration)
- jaundice in acute toxic hepatitis
The outcome of long-term substance abuse is depression, memory impairment and decreased function of internal organs. Possible aggravation of existing psychoneurological disorders. Abrupt withdrawal of the drug causes “withdrawal” (withdrawal) - trembling of the limbs or the whole body, headache, cold sweat, hysteria, antisocial behavior.
How does a medicine affect the human body?
The medicinal properties of the drug are ensured by its ability to enhance the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid. The latter is a neurotransmitter responsible for the transmission of neural signals in different parts of the brain. Without it, it is impossible to control muscle tone, emotions, and intellectual processes.
Until Phenazepam is completely removed from the body, excitation in the subcortical structures - the limbic system, thalamus and hypothalamus - will be greatly reduced. Many spinal reflexes will also slow down.
If we talk about the pharmacological abilities of the drug in more detail, we need to name the following:
- Anti-anxiety . The drug affects the amygdala, due to which emotional stress decreases, anxiety and fear go away.
- Calming . "Phenazepam" reduces excitation in the reticular formation and nonspecific nuclei of the thalamus. As a result, the severity of unfavorable neurotic symptoms is minimized, and complete relaxation occurs.
- Sleeping pills . The active substance of the drug reduces the body's sensitivity to external stimuli - the process of falling asleep is easier. Since the emotional background is normalized at the same time, night sleep becomes deeper.
- Anticonvulsant . The composition increases presynaptic inhibition and significantly limits the area of propagation of convulsive impulses. At the same time, it is not capable of blocking the convulsive focus.
Phenazepam can become a drug
Uncontrolled use of the drug leads to severe dependence. It is drug addicts who are interested in how long it takes to remove Phenazepam from the body. After all, most of them try to hide their illness from others.
Scientists have found that taking pills for medicinal purposes should not last more than one month. If you take the medication longer, the person will become a drug addict.
High doses of the medicine give a feeling of euphoria and complete relaxation. If you combine it with other psychostimulants or alcohol, the high will become more pronounced. Many drug addicts drink the drug during withdrawal to alleviate negative withdrawal symptoms.
Are hallucinations possible?
The “high” from tranquilizer abuse is very selective. In most cases, the drug causes severe lethargy, apathy, and drowsiness. Hallucinations from Phenazepam develop extremely rarely in the following situations:
- withdrawal syndrome
- combined use with other drugs, ethanol or psychotropic drugs
- paradoxical reactions - increased psychotic symptoms, aggression, insomnia, nightmares, hallucinatory-delusional manifestations
- rarely - overdose
What are the consequences of using high doses of the drug?
When taking high doses, the withdrawal of Phenazepam slows down. A condition develops that resembles alcohol intoxication. The patient becomes active, mobile, relaxed. He feels happy and invincible.
At the same time, he begins to perceive what is happening around him worse and behaves inappropriately. He has difficulty concentrating, focusing, and remembering new information. The gait becomes unsteady. The pupils are enlarged. The eye's reaction to light slows down. Muscle tone, especially in the legs, decreases sharply.
As soon as Phenazepam stops working, the addict feels lethargic and weak and goes to bed. His appetite disappears for a while. Normal physical condition is restored in about a day.
Stages and symptoms of phenazepam addiction
The development of addiction goes through several stages (stages).
Mental dependence is formed first
: improvement in condition after using the drug, obsessive thoughts about its upcoming use, irritability and sad-angry mood in the absence or impossibility of taking it. It may take only a few days of constant use to develop psychological dependence.
The next stage is physical dependence
. It is manifested by an increase in tolerance - an increase in dose is required to achieve an effect; development of withdrawal syndrome (withdrawal state) - deterioration of mental and physical condition when stopping or reducing the dose. Physical dependence develops within several months of constant use of phenazepam.
, pronounced changes in the nervous system develop
in the form of the development of psychoorganic syndrome (memory loss, emotional instability, dementia) and severe neurological disorders (convulsive seizures, decreased muscle tone, muscle tissue atrophy).
Very often, the abuse of this tranquilizer is accompanied by the use of other sedatives: sleeping pills, tranquilizers of other groups, alcohol-containing drugs (Corvalol, Valocordin, various alcohol tinctures) and alcoholic beverages. All these drugs enhance the effect of phenazepam and contribute to even greater dependence.
Features of drug pharmacokinetics
"Phenazepam" is quickly and almost completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Eating does not affect the degree of its absorption. The drug penetrates the blood plasma, where most of it reacts with proteins.
The maximum concentration of the drug in the blood is recorded after one to two hours. In internal organs it increases unevenly. The largest number of metabolites is found in liver cells. From here, Phenazepam is distributed to other organs. After about an hour, there is less of it in the liver, and, on the contrary, more in the lungs, heart and brain. But concentrations in any case do not exceed liver concentrations.
The half-life of the drug (the time during which 50% of the dose used is eliminated) ranges from 6 to 18 hours. This is a fairly large time interval. Therefore, doctors talk about Phenazepam as a tranquilizer with a long period of action.
Metabolism of the drug occurs in the liver. It involves enzymes of the cytochrome P450 system. St. John's wort, grapefruit juice, Rifampicin, any barbiturates, tetracyclic antidepressants, and some drugs for the treatment of HIV can affect the rate of neutralization of the narcotic composition. All of them cannot be combined with Phenazepam, as its toxicity will increase and their elimination from the body will slow down.
The process of removing Phenazepam
Since the active substance of the drug does not dissolve in water, its removal is difficult. It is imperative that the drug binds to proteins and breaks down into salts. Eleven different metabolites can be detected following the action of liver enzymes. They are eliminated due to the functioning of the kidneys.
The main breakdown product is 3-hydroxyphenazepam. It exhibits pronounced tranquilizing and hypnotic properties and is responsible for maintaining a relaxed state in the patient for up to three days.
How quickly the drug is completely eliminated largely depends on the condition of the kidneys. If a person has severe liver disease, the process of drug cleansing can take four to five days or even more (with advanced renal failure).
Help with withdrawal symptoms
Many people, faced with the problem of drug addiction in their family, and seeing how bad a loved one is during the period of drug withdrawal, do not know how to ease withdrawal. Help includes:
- Consultation with a narcologist.
- Visiting a specialized clinic.
- Detoxification in a hospital setting.
- Maintenance drug therapy to restore physical health.
- Correction of psycho-emotional disorders.
Anti-withdrawal medications are selected by the doctor individually for each patient. Based on the condition of his body and concomitant diseases. Then there is a long road of rehabilitation and social adaptation ahead. But if a person lacks desire and motivation, and without the support of loved ones, drug use can resume at any time.
How doctors detect Phenazepam in the body of a drug addict
To identify drug metabolites, doctors use special test systems. Their use is relevant if:
- there is a suspicion that the patient is taking drugs;
- a person has been poisoned by an unknown psychoactive substance and needs to be identified;
- a medical examination of a victim of sexual violence is carried out using an unknown intoxicating compound;
- a post-mortem toxicological examination is required.
The most popular methods for detecting a drug in the body are liquid chromatography (LC) and LC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The material for diagnosis is freshly collected urine, but sometimes short-term storage of the material in the refrigerator is acceptable.
Based on the test results, the doctor can tell whether the person is taking the drug. Only five days after consuming the last dose of Phenazepam can the patient be calm - it will most likely not be possible to detect metabolites of the drug in the urine.
Narcologists never tire of repeating: there is no point in hiding addiction. If it occurs, you must undergo comprehensive treatment in a drug treatment clinic. The longer a person uses Phenazepam to obtain euphoria, the more difficult it will be for him to give it up. Therefore, therapy should be immediate.
To get rid of dependence on phenazepam are used
- Drug treatment.
- Psychotherapy.
- Physiotherapy.
- Biofeedback therapy.
- Massage and physical therapy.
- Rehabilitation.
How quickly does dependence on phenazepam develop?
Different people at different speeds. In those who are weakened and prone to addiction, it can develop as early as a month after the first dose of the drug. In other cases, it takes several years to form. Abuse of other psychoactive substances (even in the past) contributes to the development of dependence on phenazepam, even after a single dose of this tranquilizer.
What are the consequences of phenazepam addiction?
The most unpleasant complications are a decrease in memory and intelligence, up to a state of irreversible dementia. In addition, convulsive conditions, persistent insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day, decreased or increased muscle tone with impaired movement and sensitivity.
How to get rid of addiction?
Addiction requires treatment from a psychiatrist-narcologist. In a hospital, day hospital or at home.
