Balneotherapy, accompanied by medical monitoring, has made it possible to greatly reduce the consumption of psychotropic drugs in patients. However, the latter had been addicted for years.
And if the thermal cure could constitute an aid in the withdrawal from psychotropic drugs! In any case, this is the conclusion of the French SPECTh study published on Tuesday, which aimed to verify the effectiveness of balneotherapy in benzodiazepine withdrawal.
Among the anti-anxiety drugs, benzodiazepines are by far those most prescribed in France. Yet their use is associated with various well-known risks (memory loss, behavioral disorders, altered state of consciousness, habituation, physical and / or psychological dependence).
The SPECTh program (1), led by Dr Olivier Dubois, spa doctor, thus offered 70 patients aged 18 to 85, followed at 6 months, in 4 spa resorts (Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Néris-les- Bains, Saujon, Ussat-les-Bains), a multiple program consisting of balneotherapy, medical follow-up, individual psychotherapeutic follow-up, and psycho-educational workshops.
And the results are very encouraging, because the researchers were able to observe among these patients a cessation of the consumption of benzodiazepines after 3 months for 43% of the patients.
By month 6, 80% of patients had completely stopped or reduced their consumption by at least half. This abrupt cessation of their treatment also led to a significant improvement in anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, but also an improvement in sleep which also appears to be correlated with the cessation of these psychotropic drugs.
Listen to Dr Olivier Dubois, thermal doctor: ” In the anxiety-depressive disorder, the result is spectacular. We have twice as much improvement in the group of those who stopped completely compared to people who only partially stopped… “
So, from there to say that balneotherapy makes it possible to stop psychotropic drugs, the doctors remain however measured. According to Dr Olivier Dubois, “it is the combination of a suitable place, of the necessary duration, of trained professionals and of complementary care, everything contributes to the achievement of the withdrawal of benzodiazepines. “On a daily basis, it is stimulating to see the satisfaction of these patients who have finally been able to stop the drugs they had been consuming for several years! », He concludes.
Listen to Dr Olivier Dubois, thermal doctor: ” We gave the patient the maximum chance to succeed, and we succeeded… “
(1) Study presented by the French Association for Thermal Research
.
