Motor Phenomena in Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Abstract
Chronic use of benzodiazepines, the most widely prescribed of all psychotropic medicines, may lead to severe symptoms of withdrawal when the drugs are discontinued. The authors describe two cases of benzodiazepine withdrawal accompanied by unusual muscle activity. The neurologic mechanism for the motor abnormalities appears to be marked disinhibition of subcortical motor areas normally inhibited by gamma-aminobutyric acid. The motor phenomena may persist long after the more common signs of withdrawal have resolved and, if unrecognized, can lead to such misdiagnoses as drug seeking, conversion, hysteria, or malingering.
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