Benzodiazepines are a group of depressant (downer) drugs. They are also known as sedatives and hypnotics.

There are many drugs in this group and some, such as diazepam, are prescribed as medicines in the UK.

When taken in high doses (or mixed with other drugs) they can depress the central nervous system and cause respiratory depression, where breathing becomes dangerously slow or stops.

Mixing benzodiazepines with other depressants, such as alcohol, gabapentinoids or opioids, increases the risk of overdose.

Street benzos

‘Street benzos’ is a term used to describe benzodiazepines from a non-pharmaceutical source. Unlike medicines, they are manufactured without quality control.

They are generally pressed into pills and sold loose in bags. Some are sold to look like genuine medicines in branded counterfeit packaging.

'Street benzos' are usually mis-sold as diazepam and referred to using generic, interchangeable names like Valium, vallies, bars and blues.

They often contain new psychoactive substances (NPSs).

These are drugs that:

• have been newly developed, or
• were developed a number of years ago but have recently resurfaced

Different benzo-type NPSs have been detected in Scotland in 2023, including:

• etizolam
• gidazepam
• flubromazepam
• clonazolam
• flubromazolam

This alert focuses on bromazolam as it’s currently the most common drug detected in street benzodiazepines.

The information applies to anyone taking benzos not prescribed to them.