Acupuncture doubled the odds of successful taper
STUDY: Fan ZQ et al, Explore 2026;22:103421
STUDY TYPE: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
FUNDING: Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research
Background
Acupuncture treated insomnia in over 70 controlled trials, and anxiety in another 27, but this is the first to test it in benzodiazepine withdrawal.
The Study
- 64 adults with benzodiazepine-dependent insomnia
- Multicenter unblinded controlled trial from China
- Randomized to real acupuncture plus a structured taper or sham acupuncture plus same taper
- Both groups received five sessions per week for four weeks, with an eight-week follow-up
- Taper was: 25% dose reduction in week one, another 25% in week two, then gradual reduction of the remaining 50% over the final two weeks.
- Primary outcomes were insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index, or ISI) and the benzodiazepine dose reduction rate
At 12 weeks, insomnia ISI scores fell by 8.6 points in the acupuncture group versus 4.1 points in the sham group. The benzodiazepine dose reduction rate was 72% with real acupuncture versus 39% with sham.
Most striking: 44% of patients in the acupuncture group successfully discontinued benzodiazepines entirely by week 12, compared with 19% in the sham group. Fatigue also improved more in the acupuncture group.
Adverse events = minimal. One patient reported brief scalp pain.
Limitations: Small trial, exclusively in China (as with most acupuncture trials), with no objective sleep measures.
Practice Implications
- This is a meaningful effect that puts acupuncture on the table for patients who struggle to come off benzodiazepines.
- Not ready for acupuncture? Here’s a skill-building therapy with good evidence in benzo withdrawal.
— Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report
