benzodiazepine use disorder benzodiazepine use disorder benzodiazepine use disorder (bud), also called misuse or abuse, is the use of benzodiazepines without a prescription, often for recreational purposes, which poses risks of dependence, withdrawal and other long-term effects. benzodiazepines are one of the more common prescription drugs used recreationally. when used recreationally benzodiazepines are usually administered orally but sometimes they are taken intranasally or intravenously. recreational use produces effects similar to alcohol intoxication. benzodiazepine use disorderother namesbenzodiazepine drug misusespecialtyaddiction medicine, psychiatry benzodiazepinesthe core structure of benzodiazepines. "r" labels denote common locations of side chains, which give different benzodiazepines their unique properties. pronunciation: /ˌbɛnzoʊdaɪˈæzəpiːn/ benzodiazepine list of benzodiazepines benzodiazepine overdose benzodiazepine dependence benzodiazepine misuse benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome effects of long-term benzodiazepine use in tests in pentobarbital trained rhesus monkeys benzodiazepines produced effects similar to barbiturates. in a 1991 study, triazolam had the highest self-administration rate in cocaine trained baboons, among the five benzodiazepines examined: alprazolam, bromazepam, chlordiazepoxide, lorazepam, triazolam. a 1985 study found that triazolam and temazepam maintained higher rates of self-injection in both human and animal subjects compared to a variety of other benzodiazepines (others examined: diazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam, flurazepam, alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide, clonazepam, nitrazepam, flunitrazepam, bromazepam, and clorazepate). a 1991 study indicated that diazepam, in particular, had a greater abuse liability among people who were drug abusers than did many of the other benzodiazepines. some of the available data also suggested that lorazepam and alprazolam are more diazepam-like in having relatively high abuse liability, while oxazepam, halazepam, and possibly chlordiazepoxide, are relatively low in this regard. a 1991–1993 british study found that the hypnotics flurazepam and temazepam were more toxic than average benzodiazepines in overdose. a 1995 study found that temazepam is more rapidly absorbed and oxazepam is more slowly absorbed than most other benzodiazepines. benzodiazepines have been abused both orally and intravenously. different benzodiazepines have different abuse potential; the more rapid the increase in the plasma level following ingestion, the greater the intoxicating effect and the more open to abuse the drug becomes. the speed of onset of action of a particular benzodiazepine correlates well with the 'popularity' of that drug for abuse. the two most common reasons for preference were that a benzodiazepine was 'strong' and that it gave a good 'high'. according to dr. chris ford, former clinical director of substance misuse management in general practice, among drugs of abuse, benzodiazepines are often seen as the 'bad guys' by drug and alcohol workers. illicit users of benzodiazepines have been found to take higher methadone doses, as well as showing more hiv/hcv risk-taking behavior, greater poly-drug use, higher levels of psychopathology and social dysfunction. however, there is only limited research into the adverse effects of benzodiazepines in drug misusers and further research is needed to demonstrate whether this is the result of cause or effect. signs and symptoms