Toward clarifying ASAM’s inpatient and residential benzodiazepine tapering recommendations

1

The 2025 ASAM Guidelines on Benzodiazepine Tapering aim to address the lack of evidence-based strategies for safely deprescribing benzodiazepines.
2

Inpatient care is recommended for patients at imminent risk or with complex tapering needs, but tapering often continues in outpatient settings.
3

The Guidelines lack practical guidance on referrals to inpatient or residential care, leading to potential misdiagnoses and unsafe tapers.
4

The term 'severe or complicated withdrawal' is not defined in the Guidelines, risking oversimplification of clinical judgment.
5

The Guidelines acknowledge protracted withdrawal symptoms but underestimate the frequency of clinicians failing to recognize ongoing symptoms.

1