EFFECTS OF FLUMAZENIL IN THE TREATMENT OF BENZODIAZEPINE WITHDRAWAL -A DOUBLE-BLIND PILOT-STUDY

Flumazenil, a partial benzodiazepine agonist with low intrinsic activi ty, was tested for potential use in patients experiencing withdrawal s ymptoms after traditional treatment for benzodiazepine dependency. On two occasions, separated by 1-13 weeks, ten patients treated for benzo diazepine dependency and ten controls received cumulative doses of flu mazenil (0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 mg at 15-min intervals) or pl acebo, with assessments of withdrawal symptoms and physiological varia bles after each dose. As expected, there was an overall difference bet ween patients and controls, with patients scoring higher on negative a nd somatic items and lower on positive psychological items. Flumazenil reduced symptoms thought to be important in withdrawal in patients tr eated for benzodiazepine dependency. In contrast to the patient group, controls reacted in the opposite direction with increases in negative experience when given flumazenil. Further research may develop flumaz enil as a therapeutic option in the treatment of benzodiazepine withdr awal.