Lena Dunham isn’t alone in going overboard on benzos.
Many fans felt her pain on Monday when the 32-year-old “Girls” creator revealed on a podcast that she’s newly clean after a harrowing period of misusing the prescription sedatives, which are commonly prescribed to treat panic disorders and insomnia.
“It stopped being, ‘I take one when I fly,’ and it started being like, ‘I take one when I’m awake,’” Dunham said of her Klonopin habit on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. The star said she initially took the meds for “extreme anxiety” and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The number of US adults downing benzodiazepines, a class of drugs that includes Xanax and Valium in addition to the Klonopin, soared by 67 percent — to 13.5 million — between 1996 and 2013, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year. “Many prescribers don’t realize that benzodiazepines can be addictive and when taken daily can worsen anxiety, contribute to persistent insomnia, and cause death,” the authors wrote.
Being aware of early warning signs can help prevent such scary outcomes, says Dr. Yadagiri Chepuru, a psychopharmacologist based in Yonkers. If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, Chepuru says benzo overuse might be to blame:
• Achiness or physical weakness
• Unusual fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Balance problems
• Mood swings
• Confusion or fuzzy thinking
Beating a benzo-use disorder is possible, says Chepuru. Follow Dunham’s lead and work closely with your doctor, he says, as quitting cold turkey can be dangerous. Detoxing may require a personalized tapering approach, new medication to keep withdrawal symptoms in check and a fresh game plan for managing mental health going forward.