Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs that are used as sedative for treating insomnia, anxiety, and seizures. Benzodiazepine drug testing is used to identify benzodiazepine.
They are psychoactive drugs which act as a muscle relaxant. Some of the commonly used benzodiazepine drugs are lorazepam, Diazepam, etc. The drug enhances the activities of GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid) neurotransmitter in the brain which helps in slowing down the neuronal activities thereby producing sedative effects.
There are 2 categories of benzodiazepines. They are short-acting and long-acting. The short-acting benzodiazepines are excreted out from the body in a short period. The long-acting benzodiazepines get accumulated in the blood stream and are cleared out after a long time.
Abusive properties of Benzodiazepine: Benzodiazepine when used for a longer term causes psychological dependence and one is bound to become addicted to the drug. The drug is usually taken orally either in capsule form or tablet form. Short-term effects of Benzodiazepine when used at moderate doses are dizziness, confusion, motor coordination impairment, slurred speech, changed vision, respiratory distress, depression, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, etc.
Pre employment drug testing companies do check for most of the drugs via ten panel drug screen test, 12 panel drug test, 5 panel drug screen etcetera.
High doses of Benzodiazepines can cause euphoric effects, decreased level of reflexes, erratic behavior.
Long-term use of the drug will causes accumulation in the blood stream and results in disorientation, lack of coordination, muscle weakness, slurred speech, etc. In this case, the over dosage effects may not at all be evident for some days.
This is also characterized by severe withdrawal symptoms. They include insomnia, tremors, delusion, perspirations, etc. However, the onset of withdrawal symptoms takes some time for long-term users.
Medical properties:
The medical properties of benzodiazepines helps in the treatment of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders including insomnia, and status epilepticus. It is also used as an effective antispasmodic agent to provide muscle relaxation. The drug is also used to produce preoperative sedation and amnesia.