What Do Benzodiazepines Look Like?

Benzodiazepines, otherwise known as “benzos” are medications used to lower activity in the brain. Conditions such as anxiety, seizures, or insomnia are a result of increased brain activity, and some patients are given benzodiazepines to reduce overly neuro-active symptoms.

In medical settings, benzodiazepines are also used as anesthesia for surgical procedures. Since it is also a relaxant, some people with mood disorders are prescribed the drug to help alleviate symptoms. In any of these conditions, there is also a risk of benzodiazepine abuse due to its relaxing and euphoric effects.

Wondering if there is a potential benzodiazepine abuse in a loved one, or even yourself? The information below can help you identify benzodiazepines and how to get started with substance use disorder recovery.

Benzodiazepines Physical Appearance

The most common brand name benzodiazepines are Valium, Klonopin, Xanax, Halcion and Ativan. Below, you would find their colors, the number of milligrams, and imprints for each brand.

What mg are benzodiazepine (different colors)?

Valium

• 2-milligram tablet: White, round, has a “V” shaped hollow at the middle with imprints “2 Valium” and “Roche Roche”.
• 5-milligram tablet: Yellow, round, has a “V” shaped hollow at the middle with imprints “5 Valium” and “Roche Roche”.
• 10-milligram tablet: Blue, round, has a “V” shaped hollow at the middle with imprints “10 Valium” and “Roche Roche”.

Klonopin

• 0.5-milligram tablet: Orange, round, has a “K” shaped hollow at the middle with imprints “½ Klonopin” and “Roche”.
• 1-milligram tablet: Blue, round, has a “K” shaped hollow at the middle with imprints “1 Klonopin” and “Roche”.
• 2-milligram tablet: White, round, has a “K” shaped hollow at the middle, and imprints “2 Klonopin” and “Roche”.

Xanax

• 0.25-milligram tablet: White, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “Xanax 0.25”.
• 0.5-milligram tablet: Orange, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “Xanax 0.5”.
• 1-milligram tablet: Blue, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “Xanax 1.0”.
• 2-milligram tablet: White, oblong-shaped, with 3-scored lines, and an imprint of “Xanax” and “2”.

Halcion

• 0.25-milligram tablet: Light blue, ellipse-shaped, with an imprint of “Halcion 0.25”.

Ativan

• 0.25-milligram tablet: White, pentagon-shaped, with an imprint of “A BPI 63”.
• 1-milligram tablet: White, pentagon-shaped, with an imprint of “A 64 Wyeth”.
• 1-milligram tablet (another variant): White, pentagon-shaped, with an imprint of “A BPI 64”.
• 2-milligram tablet: White, pentagon-shaped, with an imprint of “A 2 BPI 65”.

Knowing the benzodiazepine colors and the milligrams can help you learn the right dosage and brand, especially when the medications are not in their original packaging. Aside from brand-name benzodiazepines, there are also generic variations.

What do generic benzodiazepines look like?

Diazepam

• 2-milligram tablet: White, round, with an imprint of “Mylan 271”.
• 5-milligram tablet: Orange, round, with an imprint of “Mylan 345”.
• 10-milligram tablet: Green, round, with an imprint of “Mylan 477”.

Clonazepam

• 0.5-milligram tablet: Light yellow, round, with an imprint of a V-shaped logo and  “2530”.
• 0.5-milligram tablet (another variant): Light yellow, round, with an imprint of a G-shaped logo and “63”.
• 1-milligram tablet: Blue, round, with an imprint of “C 1”.
• 2-milligram tablet: White, round, with an imprint of “C 2”.

Alprazolam

• 0.25-milligram tablet: White, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “G 3719”.
• 0.5-milligram tablet: Orange, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “B705”.
• 1-milligram tablet: Blue, oval-shaped, with an imprint of “B706”.

Triazolam

• 0.125-milligram tablet: White, oval, with an imprint of “54 519”.
• 0.25-milligram tablet: Light blue, oval, with an imprint of “54 620”.
• 0.25-milligram tablet (another variant): Light blue, elliptical-shaped, with an imprint of “G 3718”.

Lorazepam

• 0.5-milligram tablet: White, round, with an imprint of “EP 904”.
• 1-milligram tablet: White, round, with an imprint of “EP 905 1”.
• 2-milligram tablet: White, round, with an imprint of “EP 906 2”.

Now that you have a background of what color are benzodiazepines, milligrams, as well as generic and brand names, understanding the signs of substance use disorder is also important to prevent dangerous side effects and health complications.

How to Get Help for Benzodiazepine Abuse

Finding help for substance use disorder can seem overwhelming at first, but resources are available. You can easily get started with these concrete steps for yourself or a loved one:

Contact a benzodiazepine abuse treatment center

Finding a trusted benzodiazepine abuse treatment center can help you get in recovery with the right foot. Experts in such facilities are trained to address problems such as benzodiazepine dependency through drug detox. They can also identify factors that influence benzodiazepine abuse to craft a treatment program suited for each patient’s needs.

Find supportive loved ones to help in the process

The journey towards recovery becomes much easier with you have a supportive community to help you out. You can let trusted loved ones know about the substance use disorder condition so that they can provide the support you need–whether it’s emotional, financial, or travel assistance.

Educate yourself with substance use disorder

Learning more about substance use disorder through informative blogs, journals, or group discussions can help refine your decisions in addiction recovery. It can also provide you with crucial information should you or a loved one experience health problems associated with addiction.

Benzodiazepines: Identifying the Drug, Signs of Abuse, and Getting Help

More than learning what do benzodiazepines look like, being aware of addiction signs and educating yourself on how to get help can help save a life. Through this comprehensive post, you can take action for yourself or a loved one to recover from benzodiazepine abuse.