Benzodiazepines

• A significant number of adults in the United States use benzodiazepines (5.2%), women prescribed more than men, mostly prescribed by PCPs rather than psychiatrists (Olfson, King, and Schoenbaum, 2015)
• The medications have not been shown to be effective for long-term use and have a number of harmful side-effects, especially in the elderly population (falls, hip fracture, cognitive impairment, risk of withdrawal, disinhibition, sedation) (Lader 2014)
• Benzodiazepines have been used to treat anxiety disorders in the past, though now recommendations from NICE suggest “Do not offer a benzodiazepine for the treatment of GAD in primary or secondary care except as a short-term measure during crises.”

References

Lader, M. Benzodiazepine harm: how can it be reduced?: Benzodiazepine harm: how can it be reduced? Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 77, 295–301 (2014). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22882333/

Olfson, M., King, M. & Schoenbaum, M. Benzodiazepine Use in the United States. JAMA Psychiatry 72, 136 (2015). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25517224/

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management Clinical guideline [CG113]. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113 (2019).