Sreemoyee Chatterjee
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Written By: Sreemoyee Chatterjee | Published : September 11, 2018 7:02 PM IST
Prolonged usage of these sedatives may not be healthy
Do you frequently use sedatives known as benzodiazepines? Well, these may calm you down, give relief from anxiety, improve sleep and depression. However, these can turn you into an addict. A recent study has shown that one in four older adults using these drugs resort to them for long-term use. The study also stated that older adults go for long-term use of these sedatives despite doctors' warning to not do so. Using these drugs for a long duration increases chance of road accidents, falls and broken hips along with other side effects, according to recent media reports. The study was conducted by a team from the University of Michigan, VA and University of Pennsylvania and appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine.
There is a need to educate both healthcare providers and the public regarding the risks related to prolonged use of benzodiazepine drugs, highlight the findings of this new study that included those users who were prescribed this drug by non-psychiatrists and primary care physicians. The study also revealed that for just every 10 additional days of medication prescribed, a patient's risk of prolonged usage of this drug doubled in around a year's time, according to latest media reports.
Lauren Gerlach, the lead author of the study reportedly said: "This shows that we need to help providers start with the end in mind when prescribing a benzodiazepine, by beginning with a short-duration prescription and engage patients in discussions of when to reevaluate their symptoms and begin tapering the patient off. We also need to educate providers about effective non-pharmaceutical treatment alternatives, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, for these patients."
She pointed out that those who have been on long-term use of these sedatives were no kore likely to have a diagnosis of anxiety and depression. Also, a majority of long-term users said they suffered from sleeping problem and inadequate sleep. However, doctors say that benzodiazepines are not recommended to be used as sleep-aids and can worsen sleeping issues if used for long duration.
