Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The long-term use of benzodiazepines: patients' views, accounts and experiences

The long-term use of benzodiazepines: patients' views, accounts and experiences BackgroundAlthough a decrease in new prescribing has occurred for anxiolytic benzodiazepines, concerns have been raised that a ‘core’ of long-term users has been left behind. Typically, elderly people represent this ‘core’, using the benzodiazepines as hypnotics.ObjectiveThe present study focuses on the reasons why hypnotic benzodiazepines are used for protracted lengths of time. By examining patient experiences and cognitions, a deeper understanding may be gained of why patients continue to use benzodiazepines.MethodsElderly, long-term users of benzodiazepine hypnotics were interviewed using a semi-structured interview procedure. A comparison group of non-users of the drugs were given a brief interview to collect comparative data. Interview data were analysed from transcripts using qualitative methodology; statistical comparisons between the groups were made using non-parametric statistics.ResultsThe long-term users had significantly fewer hours of sleep per night than the non-users. There was some evidence of tolerance and a suggestion that symptoms of withdrawal were maintaining continual use. None of the long-term users had clean knowledge of what their doctors thought of their use of benzodiazepines.ConclusionsThe data suggest that the power of the doctor may not be utilized to its full potential in the prevention of long-term use, that at least 50% of elderly benzodiazepine users would like to discontinue use, and that patients need information and advice on how to discontinue these drugs. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Family Practice Oxford University Press

The long-term use of benzodiazepines: patients' views, accounts and experiences

Barter, Gabrielle; Cormack, Maggie
Family Practice , Volume 13 (6) – Jan 1, 1996
Download PDF
7 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/oxford-university-press/the-long-term-use-of-benzodiazepines-patients-views-accounts-and-sXYjiQiBdH

References (16)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© Oxford University Press
ISSN
0263-2136
eISSN
1460-2229
DOI
10.1093/fampra/13.6.491
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough a decrease in new prescribing has occurred for anxiolytic benzodiazepines, concerns have been raised that a ‘core’ of long-term users has been left behind. Typically, elderly people represent this ‘core’, using the benzodiazepines as hypnotics.ObjectiveThe present study focuses on the reasons why hypnotic benzodiazepines are used for protracted lengths of time. By examining patient experiences and cognitions, a deeper understanding may be gained of why patients continue to use benzodiazepines.MethodsElderly, long-term users of benzodiazepine hypnotics were interviewed using a semi-structured interview procedure. A comparison group of non-users of the drugs were given a brief interview to collect comparative data. Interview data were analysed from transcripts using qualitative methodology; statistical comparisons between the groups were made using non-parametric statistics.ResultsThe long-term users had significantly fewer hours of sleep per night than the non-users. There was some evidence of tolerance and a suggestion that symptoms of withdrawal were maintaining continual use. None of the long-term users had clean knowledge of what their doctors thought of their use of benzodiazepines.ConclusionsThe data suggest that the power of the doctor may not be utilized to its full potential in the prevention of long-term use, that at least 50% of elderly benzodiazepine users would like to discontinue use, and that patients need information and advice on how to discontinue these drugs.

Journal

Family Practice – Oxford University Press

Published: Jan 1, 1996

There are no references for this article.