benzo info

benzodiazepines & BIND

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs typically prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. Brand names include Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Klonopin, Librium and many others. While these drugs can be effective in the short-term, they can have severe consequences when taken long-term.

BIND (Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction) is the term for neurological complications that can arise from taking these drugs long-term. This condition has been established in peer-reviewed research (PLOS ONE) and included in the ASAM Guidelines for Benzodiazepine Deprescribing among many other publications.

For so many of us, learning about benzos and BIND can be overwhelming. In this section of our website, we try and organize benzo info into an easily accessible format. Check out our key topics below.

Benzo Basics

Basics of Benzos

What are the basics about anti-anxiety drugs? What are they for? Where did they come from? How do they work? How many people take them? What are the side effects during use? Definition of Benzos The term “benzos” is short for benzodiazepines, a class of anti-anxiety medication also known as minor tranquilizers, sedatives, BZDs, BZRAs, and others. These drugs are typically prescribed for anxiety disorders, panic attacks, insomnia, muscle spasms, and seizures. Nonbenzodiazepine

Types of Benzos

The following list includes most benzodiazepines, z-drugs, and thienodiazepines on the market today and lists their generic name followed by other information, if available, including the most common brand name, other brand names, market focus, speed of onset, half-life, and equivalency. The Ashton Manual is the primary source for the data on this page, supplemented by other sources as listed in the references section at the bottom of the page. Values for half-life and other

Glossary of Terms

Benzo usage, withdrawal, and BIND can be very confusing experiences. Along with tapering schedules, substance boundaries, and a variety of known and unknown symptoms, there is also a collection of both medical and non-medical terms that are often unknown to the average person. We hope this glossary may help clarify this issue and perhaps start to create a sense of clarity in this confusing time. We need your help We all make mistakes. And that definitely holds true for this w

BIND Basics

Basics of BIND

The following information is developed and maintained by D E Foster, founder of uneven and a member of the benzodiazepine research team that identified the term BIND. This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Any decisions about changing your medication dose should be made in consultation with your own qualified healthcare provider. For the Concerned Patient Stopping benzodiazepines abruptly can be very dangerous. For those who wish to disco

BIND Symptoms

Benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) can come with a barrage of expected, unexpected, and even sometimes bizarre physical and psychological symptoms. Neuroadaptation and neurotoxicity has caused the central nervous system to become hypersensitive and over-reactive to everyday stimuli, leaving these symptoms in its wake. The following is a list of possible side effects reported by individuals who have experienced difficulties during benzodiazepine withdrawal

For Your Prescriber / Counselor

How to Make Your Prescriber a Partner in Your Benzodiazepine Recovery Journey

One of the biggest frustrations for benzo / BIND patients is getting their healthcare provider to listen to them. Deborah Platt Bento is both a Nurse Practitioner and someone who has experienced the complications of BIND first hand. In this article, she walks you through five key steps to help prepare you for that challenging conversation.

New ASAM Guideline for Benzodiazepine Tapering Just Released

On Monday, March 3rd, 2025, the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM) in partnership with 10 medical and professional societies published the "Joint Clinical Practice Guideline of Benzodiazepine Tapering." Funded by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this document offers information on strategies to help clinicians determine whether tapering benzodiazepine medications may be appropriate for a given patient, and, if so, how to taper them. The Lived Experience

BIND Research Published!

The third and final paper from the benzodiazepine survey — which formerly introduces BIND terminology — is now published.

Resources

The Ashton Manual

Prof. C. Heather Ashton wrote what many medical professionals — and even more patients — consider the “bible” for benzo withdrawal (BIND). If you are considering tapering from a benzodiazepine, please work with your doctor and read this manual. Where to Find It BENZODIAZEPINE INFORMATION COALITION (BIC) Overview / Table of Contents PDF Version Kindle Version Nook Version BENZO.ORG.UK (Original Source) Online Manual About the Manual Benzodiazepine withdrawal (BIND) is ripe wi

For the Benzo Caregiver

Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) affects more than just the patients suffering from it. Although not in the same way or to the same extent, family members and friends — I’ll call caregivers — are impacted by it as well. As a caregiver, you may find yourself unexpectedly comforting your loved one, dealing with personality changes, talking through symptoms and ways to mitigate them, altering routines, and canceling plans. Along the way, you and the person

Benzodiazepine Guidance from BAWG

Benzo prescribing, deprescribing (tapering), and peer support documentation from BAWG.

Research

BIND Research Published!

The third and final paper from the benzodiazepine survey — which formerly introduces BIND terminology — is now published.

2nd Benzo Survey Research Paper Published!

February 6, 2023 – The second paper on the Benzodiazepine Survey of 2018-2019 was published today in Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology titled: “Enduring neurological sequelae of benzodiazepine use: and Internet survey.” This is the second in a series of three papers our team has been working on for almost four years now. The first paper was published on April 25, 2022 and was titled “Experiences with benzodiazepine use, tapering, and discontinuation: an Internet surv

Benzo Survey Research Published! (1st Survey Paper)

April 26, 2022 – The first paper on the Benzodiazepine Survey of 2018-2019 was just published on April 25, 2022, titled: “Experiences with benzodiazepine use, tapering, and discontinuation: an Internet survey.” Our team has been working on this research for three years now, and finally, we have the first paper published in the journal “Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology.” And this is just the first, many more are slated to follow. I was grateful and humbled to be par