Serax, with the generic name oxazepam, is a benzodiazepine. Primarily used for anxiety, insomnia and the symptoms of alcohol discontinuance of misuse. Serax was originally marketed in the 1960s. It continues to prescribed for off-label purposes as well, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s especially helpful for anxiety involving agitation or irritability. Serax is an intermediate-acting benzo, and it takes longer than other benzos to take effect. While benzodiazepines are useful in certain situations, they also have risks. There are common benzo side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness. There are also more severe side effects including uncontrolled dedication to misuse and uncontrolled habit forming reliance. Benzos are among the most misabused drugs in the U.S., and they do have the potential to become a psychological disease. These are reasons why they’re only intended for short-term use. Benzos like Serax should be used for no more than a few weeks, to lower the risk of misuse, psychological disease, and uncontrolled reliance. Patients should also discuss any risk factors they may have for substance misuse before taking Serax. This could include a personal or family history of substance misuse.
Serax Misuse, Addiction, and Dependence
Misuse, psychological disease, and uncontrolled reliance are three separate concepts. Serax misuse refers to a situation where someone is using this drug recreationally or in a way other than what’s prescribed. Serax misuse symptoms can include taking it more often or taking larger doses than instructed or taking it for longer than prescribed. Serax misuse can also include taking it without a prescription or mixing it with other substances, such as alcohol.
Serax misuse doesn’t necessarily mean someone has a psychological disease. Serax passion for recurrence of misuse occurs when the brain’s functionality and pathways are changed through continued exposure. Once someone has uncontrolled obsessive behavior to a benzo like Serax, they don’t have control over their use. They may continue misusing Serax even when consequences are negative. Signs of Serax uncontrolled obsessive behavior include diminished relationships and school or work performance, a focus on the drug, and unsuccessful attempts to stop misusing it.
There is also physical uncontrolled reliance possible with Serax. With continual exposure to Serax, a person’s brain may become reliance on it, and make changes as a result. For example, the brain may slow its natural production of GABA because Serax does it instead. When someone has uncontrolled reliance on a drug and stops using it, they may experience bad physical and mental symptoms. Benzodiazepine discontinued misuse can have some of the most severe side effects if not appropriately managed. While abuse, addiction, and dependence are all possible with Serax, the risks of these scenarios are lower than with other benzos. This reduced risk is because Serax is absorbed slowly and has a slow onset of action. Faster-acting benzos tend to have the highest likelihood of leading to misuse or psychological disease.
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Polysubstance Misuse
When someone misuses benzodiazepines like Serax, it’s likely they may also struggle with misuse of another substance. Benzodiazepine misuse rarely happens on its own. Instead, people will misuse benzos to come down from other drugs such as stimulants. It’s also common for people who struggle with alcohol misuse to use benzodiazepines. This is referred to as polysubstance misuse. When a person seeks treatment for polysubstance misuse, it has to address the complexity of their substance problems.
Serax Addiction Treatment and Rehab
The first step of any Serax psychological disease treatment and rehab program is often a medical program to rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances. A person has to be clean of substances before they can start in-depth treatment. Benzodiazepine detox is particularly difficult for many people because of the uncomfortable and sometimes severe nature of side effects. A Serax rehab program will help include a medical program to help the patient abstain from or rid the body of unhealthy substances so that patients can be made safer and more comfortable as they go through this.
Following the medically supervised program, Serax psychological disease treatment and rehab options vary. For someone who is a shorter-term misuser of Serax, or who has a relatively mild devotion to the drug, outpatient treatment may be sufficient. This allows people to stay in their environment while attending regular weekly meetings and therapy sessions. For someone with a long-term dedication to misuse, polysubstance misuse issues, or underlying mental health conditions, psychological disease treatment and rehab is often best in an inpatient facility. Inpatient Serax psychological disease treatment and rehab will address the causes of dedication to the recurrence of misuse, and will also help people learn future coping mechanisms. The goal of Serax psychological disease treatment and rehab is to help patients with therapy and alternative treatments, so they’re ready to re-enter their daily lives in recovery. Most inpatient programs will also include aftercare planning, which improves the chances of a patient maintaining their recovery.
If you’re struggling with benzodiazepines or other substances, please contact The Recovery Village. We can tell you more about our unique facilities and programs including outpatient and inpatient rehab, as well as medical assistance to help the patient to abstain from or rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.
