Bashar al-Assad’s abandoned office was filled with strips of anti-anxiety benzodiazepines, indicating use in his final days before fleeing. What is this property?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Al-Assad’s office was filled with strips of benzodiazepine pills, and papers were scattered on the office floor. She added that a book on the history of the Russian army, a map of northeastern Syria, and a biography of himself were also found on the desk.
For its part, the New York Times reported that there was a table in one of the offices, on which was a half-finished cup of coffee, dozens of cigarette butts, and a remote control, and this conjures the image of Assad nervously smoking while watching news of the advance of the armed factions on television.
This may indicate that Al-Assad, in his last days, was taking a benzodiazepine drug with coffee, and was a heavy smoker.
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are drugs that make the nervous system less active. The decrease in nervous system activity makes these medications useful for a variety of symptoms and conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Many countries, such as the United States, classify benzodiazepines as controlled substances. This means that a person needs a prescription to get it.
Benzodiazepines are controlled because they can have dangerous effects, especially when misused. It can also be addictive. Because of these factors, health care providers use benzodiazepines with caution. If nervous system activity drops to a very low level, it can have serious or even fatal effects.
How do benzodiazepines work?
The nervous system uses chemical and electrical signals to send and transmit messages throughout the body. Chemical signals, known as neurotransmitters, can bind to cells with the right receptors.
Neurotransmitters and receptors work very similarly to car keys. Neurotransmitters (the car key) can only fit into the right receptor. If it fits, the neurotransmitter can activate a process within the cell (starting the car).
Benzodiazepines tell the brain to release a neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This neurotransmitter has a specific function: it makes the nervous system less active. Slow activity can have the following effects:
- Memory loss. Benzodiazepines temporarily prevent the formation of new memories (known as anterograde amnesia).
- Anti-anxiety.
- Hypnotic, makes you feel sleepy.
- Sedative: Benzodiazepines help the nervous system “settle down” and have a sedative effect.
Other ways to classify benzodiazepines
There are two main ways that experts classify benzodiazepines:
- Strength: Some benzodiazepines are stronger than others (although strength may vary from person to person for different reasons). For example, 15 milligrams (mg) to 30 mg of flurazepam is generally equivalent to 0.25 mg to 0.5 mg of clonazepam.
- Duration of action: Some benzodiazepines are short-acting and last only several hours. Some are long-acting and last for several days. Most long-acting benzodiazepines are not as strong.
The strength and duration of action of benzodiazepines is important in the conditions you treat. Short-term or emergency situations usually merit the use of stronger, shorter-acting benzodiazepines. Chronic, non-emergency conditions can usually be treated with lower-strength, longer-acting benzodiazepines.
What conditions do benzodiazepines treat?
These medications treat conditions based on the effect they cause. While there are separate types because they have different primary effects, there is a lot of overlap between them. For example, most benzodiazepines have a sedative effect in addition to their primary effect.
- Amnesia: These are common at the beginning of general anesthesia before surgeries and other medical procedures.
- Antianxiety medications: Treat anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
- Hypnotic: Treats insomnia and related sleep disorders.
- Tranquilizers: This effect has many uses. It can treat conditions and symptoms associated with muscle control, such as muscle spasms. It can also treat more severe problems such as stupor (which often occurs with mental health conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder). These benzodiazepines are also very important in the treatment of seizures (including those caused by epilepsy) and status epilepticus, which is a medical emergency associated with seizures.
Possible complications with benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are useful and effective, but some risks come with them, including:
- There is potential for misuse. Benzodiazepine misuse is widespread. Experts estimate that 5 million or more people in the United States misused benzodiazepines in a 12-month period from 2014 to 2015.
- It can be addictive. Benzodiazepine use disorder is a potential complication of long-term use or misuse of these medications.
- There is a risk of overdose. Benzodiazepine abuse can be dangerous because it causes respiratory depression, and an overdose may lead to respiratory arrest.
- It can interact seriously with alcohol and some medications. Benzodiazepines can interact with medications such as opioid pain relievers (such as oxycodone or hydrocodone) or with alcohol. Such interactions can intensify the effects of drugs and/or alcohol, which can lead to fatal results.
- It can affect the ability to drive or perform certain tasks. It slows down nerve signals. Slow nerve signals can slow down reactions, making it difficult or impossible to drive or do certain tasks safely.
Drink coffee with benzodiazepines
Caffeine may attenuate the effects of benzodiazepines, and even relatively small amounts may worsen symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.
Smoking with benzodiazepines
Cigarettes contain substances that interact with benzodiazepines.