Misuse of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in the UK.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25061118.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.149252.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs are commonly prescribed for insomnia and anxiety syndromes and there is increasing concern regarding their misuse. Using an internet-based questionnaire we found that of 1500 respondents 7.7% (n = 116) had misused one or more of these medications. Almost 15% of those misusing at least one of these drugs did so once weekly or more often. The main reasons reported for their use were to help sleep (66.4%), to cope with stress (37.1%) and/or to get high (31.0%). A total of 31% obtained the medications from multiple sources; healthcare professionals (55.2%) and friends/family (39.7%) most commonly. Our study can be used to inform prevention measures for their misuse.
Medical subject headings
- Acetamides
- Azabicyclo Compounds
- Benzodiazepines
- Hypnotics and Sedatives
- Piperazines
- Prescription Drug Misuse
- Pyridines
- Pyrimidines