Introduction: In the first part of our article, we reviewed the literature about anxiolytics and hypnotics (AH) addiction. Objective: To compare selected aspects of a withdrawal syndrome and related detoxification treatment in hospitalized patients with anxiolytics / hypnotics dependence (F13 group) and alcohol dependence (F10 group). Methods: A comparative clinical study, focused on comparison of the course of detoxification in hospitalized patients addicted to selected substances (N = 50). Results: The mean age of the patients in the group F13 (n = 25) and F10 (n = 25) was 49 and 45 years respectively, with men portion of 60 and 84 % respectively. In the F13 group, the most abused drugs were alprazolam and diazepam. The vegetative withdrawal syndrome had developed in all patients in the group F10 and in 68 % of patients in the group F13. Patients in the F10 group had significantly worse results of blood tests (GGT, AST, ALT, MCV) at the admission, compared to the patients in the group F13. Patients in the F13 group needed lower doses of benzodiazepines at the beginning of treatment for a successful substitution of a substance withdrawal (46.5 vs. 69 mg of diazepam equivalent). Within a comparable length of hospitalization (median = 13 days), the average dose reduction was 37 (± 30) mg of diazepam equivalent per day in patients with diagnosis F13, while in the patients with diagnosis F10 it was 62.5 (± 32) mg per day (P <0.01). Conclusion: The somatic consequences of addiction, according to laboratory tests, seem to be significantly worse in the patients in the group F10. On the other hand, detoxification (dose reduction of substituted benzodiazepines) was less successful in patients addicted to anxiolytics / hypnotics than in the patients with alcohol dependence.

Key words: anxiolytics / hypnotics addiction – alcohol addiction – detoxification – comparative clinical study