Can I stop taking a benzodiazepine on my own?

The FDA advises against it. Physical dependence can develop when benzodiazepines are taken steadily for several days to weeks, even as prescribed, and stopping abruptly or cutting the dose too fast can cause withdrawal reactions including seizures, which can be life-threatening. The agency recommends a gradual taper worked out with a health care professional.

How many benzodiazepine-involved deaths happen in Kentucky?

Kentucky recorded 148 benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths in 2025, representing 13.2% of all drug overdose deaths, a decrease of 30.5% from 213 in 2024, according to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center. Alprazolam (Xanax) was identified in 97 of the 2025 deaths.

Do benzodiazepines cause overdose deaths alone?

Rarely. In 2025, 100% of Kentucky drug overdose deaths that involved a benzodiazepine also involved at least one additional type of drug, KIPRC reported. Mixing a benzodiazepine with opioids or alcohol is what makes the combination dangerous, and the taper plan should cover everything a person uses.

Where can I get help with benzodiazepine withdrawal near Lexington?

New Vista, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, runs a 24-Hour Helpline at 1-800-928-8000 and walk-in Behavioral Health Urgent Care on its Newtown Pike campus (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The SAMHSA locator lists 9 facilities offering withdrawal management within 30 miles of Lexington, and Kentucky's KY HELP Call Center (833-8KY-HELP) is open around the clock.

What does a supervised taper look like?

The FDA tells prescribers to use a gradual taper to discontinue or reduce the dosage and notes there are no standard tapering schedules suitable for all patients. The plan is individualized after a medical assessment, monitored, and adjusted if withdrawal symptoms flare. New Vista's Medication Assisted Recovery program can coordinate care for people who also use opioids.

Benzodiazepine Detox and Treatment in Lexington, KY

If you take a benzodiazepine such as alprazolam, lorazepam, or clonazepam and want to stop, the thing that decides whether it goes safely is not willpower; it is the taper plan. The FDA has warned since 2020 that stopping these drugs abruptly can cause withdrawal seizures and other life-threatening reactions. Kentucky's overdose data adds the second half of the picture: benzodiazepines almost never cause a fatal overdose on their own here; they kill in combination. This page explains how a supervised taper works and how to start one in Lexington.

Why benzodiazepine withdrawal needs medical supervision

Benzodiazepines slow the nervous system the way alcohol does, and the body adapts over weeks and months of steady use. When the dose drops too fast, the FDA's updated boxed warning describes what can follow: withdrawal reactions including seizures, which can be life-threatening, along with anxiety, sleep problems, and sensory symptoms that some people report for months.

A supervised taper manages that on purpose. The FDA tells prescribers to use a gradual taper to stop or reduce the dose, and states plainly that there are no standard tapering schedules suitable for all patients. The plan is individualized after an assessment, monitored, and adjusted when symptoms spike; pausing at a dose before moving lower again is normal and safe. Struggling mid-taper is information for the next adjustment, not a reason to stop cold.

What Kentucky's data show

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center's 2021-2025 annual report tracks benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths among Kentucky residents:

148 deaths in 2025, 13.2% of all drug overdose deaths - down 30.5% from 213 in 2024
100% of the deaths that involved a benzodiazepine also involved at least one other drug - there were no benzo-only fatalities in the state's data
Alprazolam (Xanax) was identified in 97 of the 2025 deaths, a small decrease from 99 in 2024

County-level counts come from the 2025 Drug Overdose Fatality Report. Fayette County recorded 72 resident overdose deaths in 2025, an age-adjusted rate of 23.3 per 100,000, and ranked second in the state for fentanyl-involved deaths (42) after Jefferson County. Statewide, 1,110 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose in 2025, a 22.9% decline from 2024.

The takeaway is not that benzodiazepines are harmless. It is that the risk concentrates in combination - benzo plus opioid, benzo plus alcohol - which is why a taper plan should list everything a person uses.

Where to start in Lexington

New Vista anchors public behavioral health in Central Kentucky. Its 24-Hour Helpline is 1-800-928-8000, and its walk-in Behavioral Health Urgent Care (no appointment needed, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) sits on the Newtown Pike campus on the north side of Lexington, off exit 115 of I-64/I-75 and next to UK HealthCare's Eastern State Hospital
The Schwartz Center, at 3479 Buckhorn Drive, is New Vista's short-term residential substance use program - an ASAM Level 3.5 facility with 12 beds for men and 12 for women. It accepts Medicaid and uninsured clients on a sliding scale and lets residents continue medications for opioid use disorder
Your prescriber - the clinician who wrote the benzodiazepine is often the fastest route to a taper plan. Bring a full medication list and mention alcohol and any opioid use
The SAMHSA locator can be searched from any Lexington ZIP code and filtered by level of care, including withdrawal management
Kentucky's KY HELP Call Center (833-8KY-HELP) is open 24/7 to connect people with treatment

Treatment capacity near Lexington

A same-day search of the SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov locator for a 30-mile radius around Lexington lists 74 substance use treatment facilities, including:

9 offering detoxification (withdrawal management)
11 with residential programs
70 offering outpatient care, and 25 reporting a sliding fee scale
6 federally certified opioid treatment programs and 55 facilities that prescribe buprenorphine

Counts shift as programs open and close, so confirm current openings by phone.

Paying for care

Kentucky Medicaid covers behavioral health and substance use disorder services for eligible members, including residential care and medication when medically necessary; most members receive care through a managed care plan, so confirm the level of care before you commit. If you are uninsured, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 offers free, confidential referrals, and the Schwartz Center accepts uninsured clients on a sliding scale.

How to start today

Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through your options with a treatment specialist - no pressure, no commitment. Or use the form and we will reach out:

Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers, and we check your benefits before you commit.

Emergency and crisis lines

If someone is unresponsive, seizing, or struggling to breathe, call 911 first - a suspected benzodiazepine withdrawal seizure belongs in an emergency department, not at home. For a mental health or substance use crisis that is not a medical emergency, call or text 988, or call New Vista's 24-Hour Helpline at 1-800-928-8000.

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any facility named above.