Benzodiazepines Revisited

摘要

Up to 1 million people in the UK are currently long-term prescribed benzodiazepine users.1 Surveys of general practices show that there are over 180 long-term prescribed users per general practice.2 Despite repeated recommendations to limit benzodiazepines to short-term use (2–4 weeks), doctors in the UK and worldwide are still prescribing them for months or years. Dependence upon prescribed benzodiazepines is now recognised as a major clinical problem and the National Performance Assessment Framework for the NHS makes it a national priority to reduce this within each health board area. Junior doctors who have recently graduated from medical school are commonly placed in rotations where they have to manage patients on benzodiazepine prescriptions. It is necessary for doctors in general to be aware of the essentials of benzodiazepines not only for the adequate management of patients on chronic benzodiazepine prescriptions, but also for responsible prescription of this drug when it is appropriate.