Phenazepam

Phenazepam can be snorted or swallowed. Like other benzodiazepines, phenazepam can be used as a chill out drug.

Phenazepam is a powerful benzodiazepine. It provides a sedative effect, relieving tension and anxiety, and making the user feel calm and relaxed. It can also cause a loss of coordination, dizziness and drowsiness. Big doses can make a user forgetful and send them to sleep or potentially put them into a coma.

Short term:

Some people may use it to help them to come down off acid, speed or ecstasy after a big night. But phenazepam is a powerful benzodiazepine and so it is easy to take too much and overdose. Some users have ended up in hospital after taking too much Phenazepam. Phenazepam is a depressant so mixing it with other depressant drugs like heroin, other tranquillisers or alcohol, can lead to an accidental overdose and possibly death. It takes a couple of hours for the effects of phenazepam to kick in. This means that there is a risk that people will re-dose before they feel the effects and increase their risk of overdosing. Phenazepam is used to make fake Valium (diazepam). People have taken what they thought was a normal Valium dose, but is in fact a high dose of phenazepam, and have ended up in hospital.

Long term:

Benzodiazepines like phenazepam can cause serious psychological and physical addiction. Because of the development of tolerance, some users have to keep increasing their dose to get the same hit or to just try and feel normal again. If you have used phenazepam for a long period of time you may experience substantial withdrawal symptoms when you stop, including anxiety, insomnia and tremors and, as for all minor tranquillisers, these problems could last for a long time.

Phenazepam is a Class C drug which means that it’s illegal to have for yourself, give away or sell. Possession can get you up to two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine. Supplying someone else, even your friends, can get you 14 years in jail and/or an unlimited fine.