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Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report
oleh: Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani, Luca Rovai, Fabio Rugani, Silvia Bacciardi, Matteo Pacini, Liliana Dell'Osso, Icro Maremmani
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | Wiley 2013-01-01 |
Deskripsi
Nowadays, the misuse of benzodiazepines (BZDs) is a cause for a serious concern among pharmacologically inexperienced patients, whether treated or untreated, that could lead to significant complications, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction. We present a case report in which an Italian patient affected by anxiety disorder and treated with BZDs presented a severe case of dependence on BZDs. We treated him according to an agonist substitution approach, switching from the abused BZD to a slow-onset, long-acting, high potency agonist (clonazepam), and looking at the methadone treatment model as paradigm. We decided to use clonazepam for its pharmacokinetic properties. The advantage of choosing a slow-onset, long-lasting BZD for the treatment of our patient was that it led us to a remarkable improvement in the clinical situation, including the cessation of craving, absence of withdrawal symptoms, reduced anxiety, improvements in social functioning, and a better cognition level.