Written By Rose Gruye

There’s a new drug in town, and it should be on all of our radars. It’s called Bromazolam, and it is a synthetic benzodiazepine, with similar sedative and anti-anxiety effects. Bromazolam is categorized as a Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS), and current research shows that polydrug use of Bromazolam with other central nervous system (CNS) depressants such as alcohol and opioids has the potential for significant harm, including mortality (Gardner et al., 2025).

Individual reports note that Bromazolam helps with pain relief, muscle relaxation, and has sedative and hypnotic effects. There is withdrawal potential with the substance as well (World Health Organization, 2022). The drug is often utilized to make off brand Xanax tablets (United States Drug Enforcement Administration, 2026). Bromazolam typically appears in solid or powder form, either as white or yellow powder, or green or orange tablets posing as Xanax (Sisk, 2025).

Bromazolam typically affects individuals for 5 to 8 hours, and common withdrawal symptoms include panic attacks, sleep disturbances, nausea, and in severe cases, seizures, hallucinations, and psychosis. The DEA notes that the drug can also cause an altered mental state, slurred speech, and potential respiratory depression (DEA, 2026). Medical detoxification is recommended, as abruptly ceasing the use of the drug can be fatal (Sisk, 2025).

Though Bromazolam was synthesized in the late 1970s, it is showing increasing popularity in the world of NPSs. In the United Kingdom, nearly 400 deaths occurred between 2021 and 2024, in which toxicology reports showed Bromazolam in the person’s system, combined with a minimum of one additional substance (illicit or prescribed) (Gardner et al., 2025).

The UK has now made NPS benzodiazepines illegal, as there is a high risk of accidental overdose. Many batches of the substance have shown inconsistency and high variance. This variability can lead to substance users believing they can use the same amount of the drug as clinically monitored benzodiazepines, leading to detrimental health complications (Gardner et al., 2025). With increases in trafficking and abuse of NPSs, the DEA, as of March 2026, has emergency scheduled Bromazolam under Schedule 1. There can be criminal repercussions for possession and distribution. No medical use has been cited for the substance (DEA, 2026).

As counselors, it is imperative that we stay up to date with novel substances and their effects, in order to guide our clients towards better health. Keeping synthetic benzodiazepines like Bromazolam on our watchlists is important, as it has fatal withdrawal potential, and could foreseeably lead to accidental or planned overdoses when combined with other common CNS depressants. MAT and SUD counseling are recommended for individuals seeking treatment options (Sisk, 2026).

References

  • Gardner, M., Millea, M., Craft, S., Andrews, R., Scott, J., Husbands, S., Pudney, C., Sutcliffe, O., Copeland, C., Sunderland, P. (2025). Bromazolam tablet quantification and analysis of post-mortem cases from the National Program on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM). ORCHID. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrixiv-2025-26w75
  • Sisk, M. (2025, September 10). What is Bromazolam? Effects, dangers, withdrawal, and treatment options. Refine Recovery.
  • United States Drug Enforcement Administration. (2026, March 18). DEA emergency schedules Bromazolam.
  • World Health Organization. (2022). Critical review report: Bromazolam. Expert Committee on Drug Dependence: Forty-Fifth Meeting.