Inappropriate Use Of Benzodiazepines Research Articles

Trends of benzodiazepine prescribing and the risk of hip fracture in elderly patients in Taiwan: A population-based study

Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the trends of prescribing potentially inappropriate benzodiazepine use (PIBU) and the risk of fractures in an elderly population in Taiwan. Methods. Retrospective administrative database analysis was conducted. Outpatient claim data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) between 2000 and 2003, which contains all inpatient and outpatient medical claims of approximately 23 million patients in Taiwan. All patients with the diagnosis of hip fractures (ICD codes) were identified from the database. The inappropriate use for the elderly was defined as a prescription with the dose of short- and long-acting BZD according to the 2003 version of Beers' criteria. Multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the association of PIBU with fractures. Results. A total of 62,023 elderly patients aged ≧65 years were retrieved from the database. The proportion of elderly patients taking short-and long-acting benzodiazepines declined significantly from 28.1 to 25% and 19.5 to 14.5% from 2000 to 2003, respectively (P<0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, co-morbidity, other medications in one prescription and all of the covariates, the risk of hip fractures (∼50%) was still statistically significant (adjusted OR in the four years studied: 1.57, 1.38, 1.68, 1.45) for elderly patients taking benzodiazepines in Taiwan. Conclusion. These findings suggest that the inappropriate use of benzodiazepine may be associated with the risk of fractures. Physicians should prescribe benzodiazepines appropriately for the elderly to minimize the risk of hip fractures.

Fluticasone-Associated Churg-Strauss Syndrome; Amiodarone-Induced Lipomas; Amiodarone-Induced Pulmonary Toxicity; Hyperchloremic Metabolic Acidosis Resulting from Topiramate Use; Generalized Seizure in Patient Receiving Epidural Meperidine; Sirolimus-Induced Pneumonitis; Inappropriate Benzodiazepine Use and the Risk of Fracture; Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

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Inappropriate benzodiazepine use in older adults and the risk of fracture.

The Beers criteria for prescribing in elderly are well known and used for many drug utilization studies. We investigated the clinical value of the Beers criteria for benzodiazepine use, notably the association between inappropriate use and risk of fracture. We performed a nested case-control study within the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study in 7983 elderly. The proportion of 'inappropriate' benzodiazepine use according to the Beers criteria was compared between fracture patients and controls. 'Inappropriate' use for elderly implies use of some long-acting benzodiazepines and some intermediate/short-acting ones exceeding a suggested maximum daily dose. Also, alternative criteria were applied to compare the risk of fracture. Cases were defined as persons with incident fracture between 1991 and 2002 who were current benzodiazepine users on the fracture date. Controls were matched on fracture date and were also current benzodiazepine users. The risk of fracture in 'inappropriate' benzodiazepine users according to the Beers criteria was not significantly different from 'appropriate' users [odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72, 1.60]. However, a significantly higher risk of fracture was found in 'high dose' users and a longer duration of use (14-90 days), irrespective of the type of benzodiazepine (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.38, 8.59). These findings suggest that inappropriate benzodiazepine use according to the Beers criteria is not associated with increased risk of fracture. Daily dose and longer duration of use (>14 days) is associated with higher risk of fracture, irrespective of the type of benzodiazepine prescribed.

Benzodiazepine Use and Expenditures for Medicare Beneficiaries and the Implications of Medicare Part D Exclusions

Benzodiazepines are excluded from prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D. The objectives of this study were twofold: to provide national estimates of benzodiazepine utilization and expenditure patterns and to examine the impact of drug coverage and other factors associated with utilization of benzodiazepines and potential benzodiazepine substitute classes. The 2002 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey provided national estimates of benzodiazepine use and expenditures among Medicare beneficiaries. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationships between independent variables and use of benzodiazepines and potential substitute classes. The independent variable of interest was drug coverage, assessed by payer source. Other covariates included in the models were chronic conditions associated with benzodiazepine use, age, sex, race, and income. In 2002, 13.7% of Medicare beneficiaries received at least one benzodiazepine fill, with an average of 5.8 benzodiazepine prescriptions filled at an annual cost of 190 dollars. Specific sources of prescription drug coverage were not significantly associated with benzodiazepine use. Female gender, chronic mental illness, age under 65, and lower income were significantly positively associated with benzodiazepine use in the Medicare population, whereas black and other races were significantly negatively associated with benzodiazepine use in this population. Compared with Medicare beneficiaries without supplemental drug coverage, beneficiaries with supplemental drug coverage were more likely to use potential benzodiazepine substitute classes than benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines were widely used by Medicare beneficiaries. Drug coverage influences access to benzodiazepines and potential substitute classes. These findings have important implications for identifying beneficiaries potentially affected by the exclusion of benzodiazepine coverage under Medicare Part D.

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Health survey data on potentially inappropriate geriatric drug use.

Studies have suggested that elderly patients do not always use medications appropriately. Investigations that have relied on prescription claim databases or clinical records focus on acquisition or prescription, and hypotheses must be made to assess actual consumption. Population survey data constitute an altemative way to study inappropriate use. To estimate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate use of medications in elderly patients in Québec based on self-reported use. Using a cross-sectional, general population, health survey in which self-reported medication use in the 2 days prior to the survey was recorded, we estimated the prevalence of inappropriate medication use in elderly patients (> or =65 y old) who responded. Two sets of published criteria were used to define inappropriate use: one to assess use of inappropriate drugs, and another to assess concomitant duplications and potential interactions. Of the 3400 patients surveyed, 6.5% had used > or =1 inappropriate drugs, 2.5% had > or =1 occurrences of potentially inappropriate duplication of medications, and 2.7% had > or =1 potential medication interactions. Concomitant use of at least 2 benzodiazepines was reported by 8.5% of respondents using these drugs. Use of > or =1 long-acting benzodiazepines was reported by 4.2% of the sample. Population health surveys are a useful tool for detecting potentially inappropriate medication use in the elderly. In particular, the high prevalence of inappropriate use of benzodiazepines signals a need for improved detection and intervention in this group.

Development of an indicator to identify inappropriate use of benzodiazepines in elderly medical in-patients.

Studies reporting the quantity of benzodiazepines used are purely descriptive and cannot comment on the quality or appropriateness of prescribing benzodiazepines. An indicator to assess the appropriateness of prescribing benzodiazepines was developed from published literature. The applicability of the indicator was discussed in a multidisciplinary forum. The indicator uses clinical data currently available to the prescriber. The indicator, in the form of an algorithm, was applied to assess the appropriateness of prescribing of benzodiazepines to medical in-patients aged < or =65 years at 17 hospitals in England and Wales. Prescribing data were collected on 1391 patients. Appropriateness of prescribing of 311 benzodiazepines were assessed. Benzodiazepines were prescribed appropriately for 110/311 (35%) prescriptions and inappropriately for 201/311 (65%) prescriptions. Initiation of benzodiazepine for no acceptable indication was the commonest reason for inappropriate prescribing. The instrument identifies the appropriateness of prescribing of benzodiazepines and can be utilised by non-physicians.

Benzodiazepine prescribing in a psychiatric hospital

Using a case note study, this paper presents a longitudinal survey of the effect of psychiatric inpatient care on benzodiazepine prescribing. Standards were proposed to assess the quality of this prescribing. Based on these standards, the study shows inappropriate use of benzodiazepines. Following admission, there was an increase in the number of patients prescribed benzodiazepines and in the number of benzodiazepines prescribed. Of the benzodiazepines withdrawn, most were contrary to the proposed standard. The quality of drug history showed little emphasis being placed on rationalising benzodiazepine prescribing. The issue of how benzodiazepines should be handled during psychiatric admission is discussed.

Stable low-rate midazolam self-injection with concurrent physical dependence under conditions of long-term continuous availability in baboons

The current research was undertaken to characterize intravenous midazolam self-injection and the concurrent development of physical dependence under conditions of continuous drug availability. Baboons (n=6) i.v. self-injected midazolam under conditions of continuous availability under a fixed-ratio 30 schedule of lever-pull responses with a 5-min time-out after each injection. Midazolam (1.0 mg/kg) maintained an orderly spaced within-day pattern of injections and low, but stable, daily rates of self-injection over 30 or more days (e.g. <20 injections/day). Sequential substitution of saline and then midazolam produced rapid extinction and then reinstatement of responding at the same stable rate. In subsequent manipulations, a range of lower doses of midazolam (0.0156-0.25 mg/kg) were also shown to reinstate self-injection responding after extinction on saline; however, both chronic and acute dose manipulations indicated that dose-regulation was poor. Chronic self-injection of the high dose (1.0 mg/kg) but not lower doses produced a suppression in responding maintained by food pellet delivery. Chronic self-injection of 1.0 and 0.25 mg/kg midazolam produced physical dependence as reflected in classic benzodiazepine spontaneous and flumazenil-precipitated withdrawal syndromes, including tremor, vomiting and, in one instance, seizure. The stable, low-rate self-injection of midazolam, with concurrent development of physical dependence, demonstrated in the present study may provide a useful model system for investigating factors which contribute to long-term inappropriate use of benzodiazepines by physically dependent patients.

Abuse of Benzodiazepines

To the Editor.— The recent article by Woods et al1presented a good literature review of benzodiazepine use and abuse based on the reinforcing model of behavioral pharmacology. However, some of the conclusions and recommendations in the article created a sense of unease in those of us who work in a tertiary referral facility and regularly see patients suffering from iatrogenically fostered benzodiazepine dependence. Woods et al1concluded that there is virtually no recreational or inappropriate use of benzodiazepines among patients for whom these drugs are prescribed and that psychological dependence is not a substantial risk of benzodiazepine therapy. A collection of seven cases at our institution that documented alprazolam dependence as defined byDSM-III(revised) criteria for psychoactive substance dependence was reported recently.2Between 1986 and 1988, two hundred ninety-three patients were treated in our Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Unit who were diagnosed as having benzodiazepine