Snorting benzodiazepines

Two cases of intranasal benzodiazepine use are presented. The methods of preparation and administration of the powder and accounts of the pharmacological effects of the drugs used are described. The pattern of development and progress of the habit and its associated features are delineated. Snorting benzodiazepines appears to be more common than is currently appreciated, and the clinical complications and implications of this habit are discussed.
Benzodiazepine is a drug that is frequently prescribed for treating psychiatric disorders. Estimates of the prevalence of abuse of and dependence on this drug are low in the general population. Previous studies of benzodiazepine abuse and dependence have focused on the oral use of the drug; a relatively new way to use the drug is intranasally (snorting). The case reports of two patients who used benzodiazepine intranasally are presented. The first case involved a 25-year-old male with a history of drug abuse and psychiatric problems. In the two years prior to entering a treatment program, he had used Valium, Xanax, Percocet, cannabis, and crank (crystal methamphetamine) regularly. He was also being treated with alprazolam for panic attacks. The patient reported severe withdrawal symptoms associated with benzodiazepine. The second case involved a 23-year-old female with a history of drug abuse and psychiatric problems, who was being treated for her drug problem. She reported being first introduced to snorting a combination of cocaine and Xanax by a friend, and began using this combination frequently. The woman reported severe withdrawal symptoms about 30 minutes after snorting the last amount of Xanax. These two cases illustrate a new way of abusing benzodiazepines. It is suggested that due to fear of contracting AIDS, drug users are more frequently experimenting with routes of administration other than intravenous. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
INTRODUCTION The prevalence of benzodiazepine abuse and dependence in the general population and in medical practice is low. One Swiss study found the prevalence of benzodiazepine abuse was 1 in [...]