What is Oxazepam?
Oxazepam, otherwise known as serax, is a short acting benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Like Valium, Xanax, Ativan and other common anxiety relief prescriptions, Oxazepam is a drug that is addictive. Within weeks, the human body develops tolerance to the drug, requiring higher and higher doses of Oxazepam to fully block your anxiety receptors. Physical dependence also involves withdrawl, which can lead to the uncomfortable physical symptoms when the medication is decreased or stopped.
What is an Oxazepam Detox?
An Oxazepam detox allows your body to comfortably get off Oxazepam without withdrawl symptoms. Withdrawl symptoms occur when you stop taking Oxazepam or when you miss your dose or take a smaller dose than you need. Withdrawl symptoms are minimal at first and include anxiety, irritability, sweating, headache, tremor, shakiness, dizziness, muscle aching, fatigue, insomnia, palpitations, and concentration and memory difficulties. Nevertheless, if you don’t take another Oxazepam dose soon, these symptoms will get worse and can lead to extremely dangerous withdrawl symptoms including delirium, seizure, and even death.
At Palm Beach Outpatient Detox, we don’t think you should have to fear getting off Oxazepam because of withdrawal symptoms. There’s a way that you can detox off of Oxazepam in the comfortable setting of your own home with a long acting benzodiazepine initiation followed by a gradual taper of the medication and finally, no medication.
Why Do I Need an Oxazepam Detox?
Long term use of Oxazepam can have a number of social and physical consequences. As tolerance to Oxazepam develops the body requires more and more Oxazepam or withdrawl symptoms will occur. As more Oxazepam is needed daily, a person often spends a great deal of time and/or money obtaining more medication. The need for Oxazepam can turn into an obsession. Often important social and recreational activities are given up or reduced to obtain and use Oxazepam. Oxazepam can also take a physical toll on the body and has a number of side effects including the following: fatigue, sedation, memory problems, nausea, confusion, delirium, birth defects, and even death. An Oxazepam Detox can allow a person to take control of their life again and to once again obtain a “clear-headed” perspective on life.
What Can I Expect From an Oxazepam Detox?
Without medical supervision, an Oxazepam detox can be an extremely difficult, uncomfortable, dangerous, and even painful experience. You can expect stomach cramps, headache, extreme anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, agitation, irritability, sweating, hot and cold flashes, dizziness, tremor, and muscle pain. These symptoms begin within hours of your last dose, peak after a few days and last for as long as a few weeks.
With a prescription to a long acting benzodiazepine you can detox off of Oxazepam without experiencing these symptoms. Long acting benzodiazepines stay a long time in the blood system, thus diminishing withdrawl signs and symptoms on discontinuation. This medication will allow you to break your physical dependence to Oxazepam as your doctor slowly lowers your dose over two to six weeks and eventually stops it. Dr. Scanlan will also use other non-addictive medication along with the long acting benzodiazepine to help with the taper and to keep you safe, calm, and able to sleep at night while getting detoxed.
Palm Beach Outpatient Detox offers outpatient detoxification treatments for opiates, alcohol and benzodiazepines in a comfortable office setting that is both affordable and allows clients to continue to work and be at home with their families. For many individuals this offers a way of easing back into daily living over a several weeks and into a recovery based way of life. Palm Beach Outpatient Detox covers areas which include Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin and St. Lucie Counties in the South Florida area.