Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Overdose

Benzodiazepines are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures.

Symptoms of Benzodiazepine overdose include:

• Drowsiness or extreme fatigue.
• Confusion.
• Agitation.
• Anxiety.
• Mood changes.
• Dizziness.
• Slurred speech or acting drunk.
• Amnesia.
• Physical weakness or lack of coordination.
• Hypotonia (lack of muscle tone).
• Blurry vision.
• Difficulty breathing or depressed breathing.
• Stupor or unresponsiveness.
• Hallucinations.
• Hypotension (lowered blood pressure).
• Coma.

Benzodiazepine medications like Xanax®, Valium®, Halcion®, Ativan® and Klonopin® enhance the effects of alcohol, and vice versa, making overdose or poisoning much more likely when these substances are combined. It is possible to take too much Xanax®, Valium®, or Klonopin® alone, but coingestants like alcohol and opioid drugs are much more often found in cases of overdose on benzodiazepines.