Why We Shouldn't Blame Benzos

Sometimes I hear from well-meaning medical practitioners that methadone is unfairly maligned as it is blamed for so many deaths. Benzodiazepines, these doctors argue, are to blame for so many methadone poly-drug deaths. Benzodiazepines are the real killers. I don't buy it. While admittedly the dangers of combining benzodiazepines with methadone are well-known in the medical community, many people dependent on benzodiazepines continue to use them for years and years, without dying. In addition, benzodiazepines are highly addictive, and withdrawal can lead to fatal seizures. The New York Times recently reported:

"A majority of victims also used large quantities of alcohol or benzodiazepine sedatives but few would have died without an opioid as the primary culprit. 'You can take a lot of benzodiazepines without dying,' said Dr. Charles E. Inturrisi of Weill Cornell Medical Center, who said they strengthen the depressive effect of methadone."

What I am concerned about more than all the people using benzodiazepines, is all the doctors prescribing methadone to the people using benzodiazepines. A patient with a long-standing history of benzodiazepine use should not be started on methadone until the physician confirms the patient is benzodiazepine-free.

William's story

William's wife called a couple of month's back. She found William dead. She had no idea what had happened. He had a history of cardiac blockage and high blood pressure, but was only 60 and seemed fine. When the autopsy came back and the medical examiner said "methadone toxicity" was the cause of death, she was puzzled. She told me William had been on a steady dose of methadone for several months. His pill counts showed that he took the methadone only as directed. How could methadone have killed William? I had no idea. I asked to see the autopsy report and the medical records. William had been prescribed a steady dose of methadone for 9 months. But a month before he died, his doctor began prescribing a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines-- drugs like xanax and valium. Many doctors know that benzodiazepines can increase the effects of methadone, and therefore, are usually not given in conjunction with methadone. Unfortunately, William's doctor did not know this. And William died as a result. Phyllis Lile-King

Link To learn more