The dose stopped working
What settled you a year ago barely takes the edge off now. Tolerance builds quietly with Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium — and the anxiety that returns between doses is often worse than the anxiety you started with.
Benzodiazepine treatment · Arlington, VA
Outpatient benzodiazepine treatment in Arlington, Virginia
Medically supervised taper coordination, CBT for anxiety and insomnia, PHP and IOP, and psychiatric medication management for Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium dependence — for adults in Arlington, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia.
- Medically supervised tapers
- Day & evening IOP tracks
- Telehealth for Virginia residents only
Medically reviewed by the VABH Medical Team
Do not stop benzodiazepines abruptly. Unsupervised withdrawal can cause seizures and can be life-threatening. If you are out of medication and experiencing withdrawal, call us today or go to the nearest emergency department.
When treatment helps
Benzodiazepine patterns we treat
Most people we treat for benzodiazepine dependence started with a prescription and did everything right. Dependence is a property of the medication, not a verdict on you.
Interdose withdrawal
Shakiness, sweating, nausea, or panic a few hours before your next dose. People often read this as their anxiety disorder worsening when it's actually the medication wearing off.
Rebound anxiety and insomnia
Sleep that only comes with a pill, and nights without one that are unbearable. Benzodiazepines suppress the very symptoms they eventually amplify, which is what makes stopping feel impossible without support.
Taking more than prescribed — or from more than one source
Extra doses on hard days, early refills, borrowing from a friend, or buying pressed pills. Counterfeit 'Xanax' bars are frequently fentanyl, and that changes the risk profile entirely.
Mixing with alcohol or opioids
Benzodiazepines combined with alcohol or opioids are one of the most common patterns in fatal overdoses in our region. If this is part of the picture, we treat it as urgent, not shameful.
Cognitive fog and flat affect
Memory gaps, slowed thinking, emotional numbness, more falls or fender-benders than you used to have. Long-term benzodiazepine use dulls more than anxiety, and much of it comes back after a careful taper.
How we treat benzodiazepine dependence
A taper you can finish, with real treatment underneath it
Coming off benzodiazepines fails when it's only a dose schedule. We pair the medical taper with treatment for the anxiety, panic, or insomnia the medication was managing.
Medically supervised taper coordination
Abrupt benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures and can be fatal — this is not a medication to stop on your own. Our medical staff may prescribe a slow, structured taper, often converting to a longer-acting agent, with hold periods whenever a step is too steep.
Withdrawal risk assessment
We evaluate dose, duration, prior withdrawal history, alcohol use, and seizure risk up front. If the safest first step is inpatient or medically monitored withdrawal management, we say so and coordinate it before outpatient care begins.
CBT for anxiety, panic, and insomnia
A taper only holds when something replaces what the medication was doing. CBT and CBT-I give you working tools for panic waves, racing thoughts, and sleep — built up while the dose comes down, not after.
Non-benzodiazepine medication options
Depending on your history, our medical staff may prescribe SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, hydroxyzine, gabapentin, or sleep-supporting alternatives so symptom relief doesn't disappear as the taper progresses.
DBT & distress tolerance skills
Paced breathing, grounding, and TIPP skills for the spikes that arrive between dose reductions — so a hard afternoon becomes something you ride out rather than a reason to go back up.
Dual-diagnosis care
Almost everyone tapering benzodiazepines has an underlying anxiety, panic, trauma, or insomnia condition. Treating both at once is the difference between a taper that holds and one that reverses in six weeks.
Levels of care
Benzodiazepine treatment programs, from PHP to aftercare
Most people aren't sure which level of care they need — that's what the assessment is for, and you can step up or down as the taper progresses.
- 015 days/week · ~6 hrs/day
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Our most structured level of care during a taper. Daily clinical programming with medical oversight while you sleep at home — the right fit when reductions are destabilizing, or when alcohol or opioids are also in the picture.
- 023–5 days/week · day or evening
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Several sessions a week of CBT, skills groups, and medication management with morning and evening tracks. The most common level of care for a working professional tapering over months rather than weeks.
- 03Weekly · ongoing
Outpatient therapy & medication management
Weekly therapy and ongoing medication oversight through the long tail of a taper, including the protracted symptoms that can surface months after the last dose.
- 04When more support is needed
Higher level of care (vetted partners)
When medically supervised withdrawal management or inpatient stabilization is the safer first step — especially with high doses, seizure history, or combined alcohol use — we coordinate placement with trusted, vetted providers and take the guesswork out of the handoff, then pick your plan back up for outpatient care.
Across the river from Maryland
Convenient for Maryland commuters
Our Arlington center is a short drive from Bethesda, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County. Many Maryland clients choose in-person PHP and IOP here because a taper benefits from frequent, consistent contact and the schedule fits around work. Telehealth is available for Virginia residents between in-person visits.
Common questions
Benzodiazepine treatment questions, answered
Is it dangerous to stop benzodiazepines on my own?
Yes. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is one of the few withdrawal syndromes that can be fatal, with seizures as the main risk. Never stop abruptly or cut your dose sharply without medical guidance. If you're already out of medication and in withdrawal, call us or seek emergency care today.
How long does a benzodiazepine taper take?
It depends on your dose, how long you've been taking it, and how your body responds. Some tapers run a few weeks; many run several months with deliberate hold periods. Going slower is usually what makes it work — the goal is a taper you can actually finish, not the fastest one on paper.
Do I have to stop completely?
That's a clinical conversation, not a rule we impose. For most people the goal is coming off, because long-term use tends to worsen the anxiety and sleep problems it was prescribed for. We set the target with you and adjust as your symptoms change.
What will manage my anxiety while I taper?
CBT and skills work start before the first reduction, so you have something in place as the dose comes down. Our medical staff may also prescribe non-habit-forming options such as SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, hydroxyzine, or gabapentin depending on your history.
I was prescribed this by my doctor — is this still addiction?
Physical dependence can develop on a legitimate prescription taken exactly as directed, and that isn't a moral failing. Whether or not the word addiction fits, the treatment is the same: a safe taper plus real treatment for what the medication was covering.
What about counterfeit Xanax bars?
Pressed pills sold as Xanax in the DC region frequently contain fentanyl, and the dose varies pill to pill. If you've been buying outside a pharmacy, tell us — it changes the plan, and we'll get naloxone into your hands the same day.
Does insurance cover benzodiazepine treatment?
Most major commercial plans cover outpatient substance use treatment, including PHP and IOP. Our admissions team verifies your benefits and tells you the expected cost before you commit to anything. Self-pay options are available if you're uninsured.
Do you offer telehealth for benzodiazepine treatment?
Yes, for Virginia residents — our clinicians are licensed in Virginia, so telehealth sessions are available statewide. In-person care at our Arlington center is open to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC residents.
In-person benzodiazepine treatment at 5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA for VA, MD, and DC residents. Telehealth for Virginia residents only.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.
Get help today
Talk to someone who's done this before
Whether you're calling for yourself or for someone you love, the first conversation is free and completely confidential.
- Admissions — 24/7(571) 586-2883
- Location5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA
Insurance accepted
Insurance coverage for benzodiazepine treatment
Taper support, psychiatric care, and intensive outpatient treatment for benzodiazepine dependence are covered by most commercial plans — Anthem, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Sentara Health Plans, UMR, and Johns Hopkins Health Plans. We verify both your therapy and medication benefits before your first session.
Don't see your plan? Call us — we also work with out-of-network benefits and self-pay.