Long-term benzodiazepine and Z-drugs use in England: a survey of general practice

Davies, James; Rae, Todd C.; Montagu, Luke

doi:10.3399/bjgp17x691865

Cited by 73 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Long‐term prescribing remains common with almost one‐third of individuals receiving prescriptions for more than 3 months. This is comparable to recent data from the UK and US . In addition, the most common quantities dispensed were for 4‐week periods, despite guidelines recommending that individuals receiving these medications on a long‐term basis only be issued with small medication quantities at a time (≤7‐day supply) .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Benzodiazepine and Z‐drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015

Cadogan

Ryan

Cahir

et al. 2018

Brit J Clinical Pharma

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Benzodiazepine prescribing to the GMS population in Ireland decreased significantly from 2005 to 2015, and was coupled with significant increases in Z-drug prescribing. The study shows that benzodiazepine and Z-drug prescribing is common in this population, with high proportions of individuals receiving long-term prescriptions. Targeted interventions are needed to reduce potentially inappropriate long-term prescribing and use of these medications in Ireland.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Benzodiazepine and Z‐drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015

Cadogan

Ryan

Cahir

et al. 2018

Brit J Clinical Pharma

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“…In those studies, the most frequent PIMs were represented by PPIs, drugs without an indication, NSAIDs, and benzodiazepines, whereas PPOs were represented by statins, antiplatelet agents, calcium, and vitamin D. [24][25][26][27] The most prevalent PIMs observed in our study are in accordance with those from other studies. [28][29][30][31][32] A study in Romania by Primejdie et al in 2016 using the STOPP/ START criteria of 2008 showed that the drug class with the highest percentage of use was NSAIDs (56.66% of outpatients and 35.63% of hospitalized patients), followed by benzodiazepines. That study did not assess PPOs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions in Ambulatory Elderly Patients Living in Rural Areas of Romania Using STOPP/START (Version 2) Criteria</p>

Buda¹,

Prelipcean²,

Andor³

et al. 2020

CIA

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These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Rational use of medications and monitoring of prescriptions in elderly patients is important to decrease the number and duration of hospitalizations, emergency medical consultations, mortality, as well as medical costs. Purpose: To identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescription omissions (PPOs), and determine their prevalence based on the Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) v2 criteria and Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) v2 criteria for patients aged >65 years. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural counties in Romania based on electronic prescriptions for chronic conditions (EPCCs) issued from 30 days to 90 days by a specialist or general practitioner. Collected EPCCs were evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of specialists based on 26 STOPP v2 criteria and 10 START v2 criteria. Results: PIM prevalence was 25.80% and PPO prevalence was 41.72% for 646 EPCCs. The mean age of patients was 75 years and the mean number of drugs per EPCC was four. The most frequently identified PIMs were treatment duration (6.65%), theophylline administration (5.72%), drug indication (4.64%), cyclo-oxygenase-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (1.39%), and zopiclone prescription (0.77%). Statins (24.76%), beta-blockers (8.04%), and beta-2 agonist/antimuscarinic bronchodilators (5.88%) were the most frequently identified PPOs.Conclusion: PPOs were more prevalent than PIMs for elderly populations living in the two rural counties in Romania we studied. Health practitioners (family physicians, specialists, and pharmacists) should focus on prophylactic and curative considerations when prescribing agents to decrease the morbidity and mortality of elderly rural Romanian patients.

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“…Notwithstanding, benzodiazepines are frequently used [7,[13][14][15][16]. The prevalence rates of benzodiazepine use in the population vary between 2 and 17% [13]: benzodiazepine use is twice as high in women than in men, is higher in older people and is mainly long-term use [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benzodiazepines in the oral fluid of Spanish drivers

Herrera‐Gómez

García-Mingo

Álvarez

2020

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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Background: Driving under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs and certain medicines is not allowed worldwide. Roadside drug testing is considered an important tool for determining such behavior. In Spain, mandatory roadside oral fluid drug testing is carried out regularly. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepines in combination with other drugs in drivers, examine benzodiazepine concentrations in drivers, and analyze the association of these factors with age and sex. Methods: This study assessed data on Spanish drivers with confirmed drug-positive results recorded by the Spanish National Traffic Agency (Dirección General de Tráfico) between 2011 and 2016, accounting for 179,645 tests and 65,244 confirmed drug-positive tests. Results: Benzodiazepines were confirmed in 4.3% of all positive roadside drug tests. In most of those cases (97.1%), other substances were also detected, particularly cocaine (75.3%) and cannabis (64.0%). The frequency of benzodiazepinepositive drivers (OR, 1.094; 95% CI, 1.088-1.100) increased with age, while the frequency of drivers who tested positive for benzodiazepines in conjunction with other substances, compared with drivers who tested positive for benzodiazepines alone, decreased with age (OR, 0.903; 95% CI, 0.825-0.988). Nordiazepam (54.8%) and alprazolam (46.9%) were the most common benzodiazepines detected. Conclusion: Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and other psychoactive substances was found to be a common behavior among drivers who tested positive on the road. It is important to raise awareness of all those involved in the consumption of driving-impairing substances (authorities, healthcare providers, patients and their families, etc.): roadside detection of driving-impairing substances is suggested, in addition to promoting the use of fewer driving-impairing medications and the provision of clear information to patients.

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Long-term benzodiazepine and Z-drugs use in England: a survey of general practice

Cited by 73 publications

References 7 publications

Benzodiazepine and Z‐drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015

Benzodiazepine and Z‐drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015

<p>Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions in Ambulatory Elderly Patients Living in Rural Areas of Romania Using STOPP/START (Version 2) Criteria</p>

Benzodiazepines in the oral fluid of Spanish drivers

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