This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Benzodiazepine use most common among older adults

Long-term benzodiazepine use has increased among those in older age groups, according to study data.

Researchers found that approximately 5.2% of US adults aged 18 to 80 years used benzodiazepines in 2008. This percentage increased with age – from 2.6% of adults aged 18 to 35; 5.4% of adults aged 36 to 50 years; 7.4% of adults aged 51 to 64 years; to 8.7% of adults aged 65 to 80 years, according to data. Moreover, twice as many women used benzodiazepines than men.

Thomas Insel

These retrospective data were collected from the 2008 LifeLink LRx Longitudinal Prescription database, including approximately 60% of all retail pharmacies in the United States.

“These new data reveal worrisome patterns in the prescribing of benzodiazepines for older adults, and women in particular,” Thomas Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), said in an NIH press release. “This analysis suggests that prescriptions for benzodiazepines in older Americans exceed what research suggests is appropriate and safe.”

Additional data indicated that the proportion of long-term use of the drug also increased with age, from 14.7% of adults aged 18 to 35 years to 31.4% of adults aged 65 to 80 years, according to researchers.

However, there was a 15% decrease in those who received a prescription from a psychiatrist among those aged 18 to 35 years, and 5.7% among adults aged 65 to 80 years.

“These medications can pose real risks, and there are often safer alternatives available,” Michael Schoenbaum, PhD, from the office of the director at NIMH, said in the press release. “Our findings strongly suggest that we need strategies to reduce benzodiazepine use, particularly for older women.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures. This research was funded by contracts from the National Institutes of Health to Yale University and Columbia University, a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.