Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T15:52:28.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Patterns of Benzodiazepine use in Great Britain as Measured by a General Population Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

G. C. Dunbar*
Affiliation:
CNS-Section, Headquarters Medical Department, Beecham Pharmaceuticals, 47–49 London Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9PQ
M. H. Perera
Affiliation:
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, formerly Clinical Research Assistant, Department of Psychiatry, University of Sheffield
F. A. Jenner
Affiliation:
University of Sheffield
*
Correspondence

Abstract

In a general population survey by Gallup in Great Britain of 4148 subjects, 7.7% had taken benzodiazepines within the last year (male:female ratio 106:212). Younger subjects tended to take anxiolytics for shorter periods compared with older subjects, who often took hypnotics chronically. This pattern was most marked among females. Dosage escalation, tolerance, high daily dose usage, and hoarding were not common. A substantial proportion of current users had experienced difficulty in stopping their medication. Withdrawal problems were associated with being older than 45 years and consuming benzodiazepines for over 12 months. This lends support to the idea of benzodiazepine dependency. However, the appropriateness of long-term therapy for chronic symptoms cannot be ruled out.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ashton, H. (1984) Benzodiazepine withdrawal: an unfinished story. British Medical Journal, 288, 11351140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baiter, M. B., Manheimer, D. I., Mellinger, G. D., et al (1984) A cross-national comparison of anti-anxiety/sedative drug use. Current Medical Research Opinion, 8 (suppl. 4), 550.Google Scholar
Busto, U., Sellers, E. M., Nuranjo, C. A., et al (1986) Withdrawal reaction after long term therapeutic use of benzodiazepines. New England Journal of Medicine; 315, 854859.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Covi, L., Lipman, R. S., Pattison, J. H., et al (1973) Length of treatment with anxiolytic/sedatives and response to their sudden withdrawal. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 49, 5164.Google Scholar
Dunbar, G. C. & Morgan, D. D. V. (1987) The changing pattern of alcohol consumption in England and Wales between 1978 and 1985. British Medical Journal, 295, 807810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunbar, G. C., Morgan, D. D. V. & Perera, M. (1988) The concurrent use of alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine in British benzodiazepine users as measured by a general population survey. British Journal of Addiction, 83, 689694.Google Scholar
Fontaine, R., Chouinard, G. & Annable, L. (1984) Rebound anxiety in anxious patients after abrupt withdrawal of benzodiazepine treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 848852.Google Scholar
Greenblatt, D. J., Shader, R. I. & Koch-Weser, J. (1975) Psychotropic drug use in the Boston area. Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 518521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hollister, L. E., Motzenbecker, F. P. & Degan, R. O. (1961) Withdrawal reactions from chlordiazepoxide. Psychopharmacologica, 2, 6368.Google Scholar
Koenig, W., Ruther, E., Remmers, A., et al (1987) Psychotropic drug utilisation patterns in a metropolitan population. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 32, 4351.Google Scholar
Ladewig, D. (1984) Dependence liability of the benzodiazepines. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 13, 139149.Google Scholar
Laux, G. & Konig, W. (1985) Benzodiazepines: long term use or abuse. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, 110, 12851290.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marks, J. (1980) The benzodiazepines – use and abuse. Arzneittel Forschung, 30, 898901.Google Scholar
Mellinger, G. D., Balter, M. B. & Uhlenhuth, E. H. (1984) Anti-anxiety agents: duration of use and characteristics of users. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 8 (suppl. 4), 2136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parry, H. J., Balter, M. B., Mellinger, G. D., et al (1973) National patterns of psychotropic drug use. Archives of General Psychiatry, 28, 769783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petursson, H. & Lader, M. H. (1981) Withdrawal from long-term benzodiazepine treatment. British Medical Journal, 283, 643645.Google Scholar
Rickels, K., Case, G., Downing, R. W., et al (1983) Long-term diazepam therapy and clinical outcome. Journal of the American Medical Association, 250, 767771.Google Scholar
Rickels, K., Case, G., Downing, R. W., et al (1985) Indications and contra-indications for chronic anxiolytic treatment. In Chronic Treatments in Neuropsychiatry (eds Kemali, D. & Racagni, G.), pp. 193204. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Schopf, J. (1983) Withdrawal phenomena after long-term administration of benzodiazepines. A review of recent investigations. Pharmacopsychiatry, 16, 18.Google Scholar
Tyrer, P., Rutherford, D. & Huggett, T. (1981) Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and propranolol. Lancet, i, 520522.Google Scholar
Tyrer, P., Owen, R. & Dawling, S. (1983) Gradual withdrawal of diazepam after long-term therapy. Lancet, i, 14021406.Google Scholar
Uhlenhuth, E. H., DeWit, H., Balter, M. B., et al (1988) Risks and benefits of long-term benzodiazepine use. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 8, 161167.Google Scholar
Wilson, P. (1981) Improving the methodology of drinking surveys. Statistician, 30, 159167.Google Scholar
Woody, G. E. & O'Brien, C. P. (1975) Misuse and abuse of diazepam: an increasingly common medical problem. International Journal of Addiction, 10, 843848.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.