ABSTRACT
If the potential influence/impact of endogenous benzodiazepines is rarely—if ever—considered when benzodiazepines are initially prescribed, their potential effects on long-term administration or cessation of benzodiazepine treatment never are. Yet, continued administration of any drug induces a response by the body, usually opposite to the drug-induced effect in order to counteract (feedback control) the perceived disruption of homeostasis (at the molecular, tissue, organ, or whole-body level). This chapter presents a summary of the physiological processes/changes that occur during extended administration of benzodiazepines and other benzodiazepine receptor agonists, and the potential influence that endogenous benzodiazepines might have on these physiological systems—and the potential clinical consequences.
