Severe Benzodiazepine Use Disorder in a 16-Year-Old Adolescent: A Rapid and Safe Inpatient Taper

Abstract

We describe the case of a 16-year-old boy with a 1-year history of severe benzodiazepine misuse. After being denied access to several treatment programs and hospital centers that felt unprepared to manage benzodiazepine use disorder and withdrawal in an adolescent, the patient was admitted to a tertiary pediatric unit for rapid inpatient tapering and detoxification. The patient was hospitalized for 13 days and received decreasing doses of diazepam under close monitoring of withdrawal symptoms. The taper was well tolerated, and the patient was transferred to a youth residential substance use treatment center, where he completed a successful 2-month placement. This case highlights the lack of adolescent-friendly facilities allowing safe tapering of rapid-acting benzodiazepines in North America. Given high rates of benzodiazepine misuse among youth and the risks associated with benzodiazepine misuse and withdrawal, there is a critical need for more research, provider training, and dedicated resources in this area.