IMPORTANCE: Although concern exists regarding the rate of Benzodiazepine use, especially long-term use by older adults, little information is available concerning patterns of Benzodiazepine use in the United States.
OBJECTIVE: To describe Benzodiazepine prescription patterns in the United States focusing on patient age and duration of use.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective descriptive analysis of Benzodiazepine prescriptions was performed with the 2008 LifeLink LRx Longitudinal Prescription database (IMS Health Inc), which includes approximately 60% of all retail pharmacies in the United States. Denominators were adjusted to generalize estimates to the US population.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The percentage of adults filling 1 or more Benzodiazepine prescriptions during the study year by sex and age group (18-35 years, 36-50 years, 51-64 years, and 65-80 years) and among individuals receiving benzodiazepines, the corresponding percentages with long-term (≥120 days) Benzodiazepine use, prescription of a long-acting Benzodiazepine, and Benzodiazepine prescriptions from a psychiatrist.
RESULTS: In 2008, approximately 5.2% of US adults aged 18 to 80 years used benzodiazepines. The percentage who used benzodiazepines increased with age from 2.6% (18-35 years) to 5.4% (36-50 years) to 7.4% (51-64 years) to 8.7% (65-80 years). Benzodiazepine use was nearly twice as prevalent in women as men. The proportion of Benzodiazepine use that was long term increased with age from 14.7% (18-35 years) to 31.4% (65-80 years), while the proportion that received a Benzodiazepine prescription from a psychiatrist decreased with age from 15.0% (18-35 years) to 5.7% (65-80 years). In all age groups, roughly one-quarter of individuals receiving Benzodiazepine involved long-acting Benzodiazepine use.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Despite cautions concerning risks associated with long-term Benzodiazepine use, especially in older patients, long-term Benzodiazepine use remains common in this age group. More vigorous clinical interventions supporting judicious Benzodiazepine use may be needed to decrease rates of long-term Benzodiazepine use in older adults.
