# Introduction to Benzodiazepines

An episode of [PsychRounds: The Psychiatry Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1719888462), 15 Oct 2025, 22 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/eb936048/podcast/play/109635851/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-9-14%2F110dd9a5-fb3d-386f-4e6f-f76bb328b427.mp3

Today, we are talking about a very popular, yet controversial class of medications - the Benzodiazepines . Let's look at their mechanism of action, clinical indications, pharmacology, risks, withdrawal syndromes, and prescribing guidance. And of course, we'll be tackling the question: what are the risks and benefits of long-term use? References: • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30098211/ • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252539/ • https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates • https://aapp.org/guideline/benzo • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40526204/ • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6097846/ • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470159/ • https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/benzodiazepines-for-anxiety-disorders-maximising-the-benefits-and-minimising-the-risks/43A366723CD1B3616BAB08F69FF65A88

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