ToolsCalculators
CIWA-B (benzodiazepine withdrawal)
Severity of benzodiazepine withdrawal.
CIWA-B (benzodiazepine withdrawal)
Restlessness / agitation (observed)
Tremor with arms extended (observed)
Sweating (observed)
Irritability
Fatigue
Feeling tense
Difficulty concentrating
Loss of appetite
Numbness or burning (face, hands, feet)
Palpitations / heart racing
Head feeling full or achy
Muscle aches or stiffness
Anxious, nervous or jittery
Feeling upset
Unrefreshing sleep
Weakness
Feeling of insufficient sleep
Visual disturbances
Fearfulness
Worrying about possible misfortune
Result0 points
Consistent with mild benzodiazepine withdrawal (total range 0-80).
- Withdrawal category
- mild
When to use
- Serial assessment of benzodiazepine withdrawal severity to guide symptom-triggered dosing.
Formula
Sum of 20 items (3 observed signs + 17 self-reported symptoms), each 0-4. Total 0-80. Approx. bands: 1-20 mild, 21-40 moderate, 41-60 severe, 61-80 very severe.
Pearls and pitfalls
- Two additional sleep-latency questions in the original scale are recorded but not part of the 0-80 total.