U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Benzodiazepines for Alcohol Withdrawal

About this resource:

Systematic Review

Source: The Cochrane Collaborative

Last Reviewed: March 2010

Workgroups: Substance Use Workgroup

In this Cochrane systematic review, the Cochrane Collaborative found that benzodiazepines are more effective than placebo for protecting against seizures caused by alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Researchers also found that benzodiazepines may offer protection against many outcomes when compared with other medicines. They noted that they couldn’t draw definite conclusions about safety and effectiveness because of differences across trial interventions and outcomes.

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Objectives related to this resource (1)

Reduce the proportion of people who had alcohol use disorder in the past year — SU‑13
Little or no detectable change

Suggested Citation

1.

Amato, L., Minozzi, S., Vecchi, S. & Davoli, M. (2010). Benzodiazepines for alcohol withdrawal. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2010 (3). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005063.pub3.