Potentially inappropriate use of benzodiazepines and z-drugs in the older population—analysis of associations between long-term use and patient-related factors

PeerJ

article

Aliaksandra Mokhar¹  Niklas Tillenburg¹  Jörg Dirmaier¹  Silke Kuhn²  Martin Härter¹  Uwe Verthein² 

[1] Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf;Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

关键词: z-drugs;    Older people;    Psychological and sociodemographic factors;    Benzodiazepines;    Insomnia;    Unemployment;    Daily structure;    Long-term use;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.4614

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionThe long-term use of benzodiazepines (BZD) and z-drugs in older populations is associated with a variety of sociodemographic and health-related factors. Recent studies reported that long-term BZD and z-drugs use is associated with increased age, female sex, and severe negative psychological (e.g., depression) and somatic (e.g., chronic disease) factors. The current study explores the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with long-term BZD and z-drugs use in the elderly.Methods65 years). To examine the association of selected sociodemographic and psychological variables (e.g., sex, employment status, quality of life, depression) with long-term use, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted.ResultsIn total, data from 340 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 72.1 (SD = 14.5) years, and the most commonly used substances were zopiclon (38.1%), oxazepam (18.1%), and lorazepam (13.8%). The mean defined daily dose (DDD) was 0.73 (SD = 0.47). Insomnia was the main reason for prescribing BZD and z-drugs. The long-term use of BZD and z-drugs was significantly associated with unemployment (OR = 2.9, 95% CI [1.2–7.1]) and generally problematic medication use (OR = 0.5, 95% CI [0.2–1.0]).DiscussionUnemployment status and problematic medication use had a significant association with the patient-reported, long-term use of BZD and z-drugs. Divergent prescription patterns might suggest problematic patterns of BZD and z-drugs use. The causal connection between the identified factors and problematic BZD and z-drugs prescription is not discussed in this paper. Nevertheless, employment status and possible evidence of general problematic drug use may be a warning signal to the prescribers of BZD and z-drugs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY