Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report
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 pat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/367594 |
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| author | Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani Luca Rovai Fabio Rugani Silvia Bacciardi Matteo Pacini Liliana Dell'Osso Icro Maremmani |
| author_facet | Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani Luca Rovai Fabio Rugani Silvia Bacciardi Matteo Pacini Liliana Dell'Osso Icro Maremmani |
| author_sort | Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b49600e5f14404c965beb0de42f1364 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-682X 2090-6838 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b49600e5f14404c965beb0de42f13642025-02-03T01:22:49ZengWileyCase Reports in Psychiatry2090-682X2090-68382013-01-01201310.1155/2013/367594367594Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case ReportAngelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani0Luca Rovai1Fabio Rugani2Silvia Bacciardi3Matteo Pacini4Liliana Dell'Osso5Icro Maremmani6Vincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyVincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyVincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyVincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyG. De Lisio Institute of Behavioural Sciences, 56100 Pisa, ItalyVincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyVincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Santa Chiara University Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, ItalyNowadays, 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.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/367594 |
| spellingShingle | Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani Luca Rovai Fabio Rugani Silvia Bacciardi Matteo Pacini Liliana Dell'Osso Icro Maremmani Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| title | Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report |
| title_full | Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report |
| title_fullStr | Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report |
| title_short | Clonazepam as Agonist Substitution Treatment for Benzodiazepine Dependence: A Case Report |
| title_sort | clonazepam as agonist substitution treatment for benzodiazepine dependence a case report |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/367594 |
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