Moderating Benzodiazepine Use in the Elderly: Curbing physicians' prescribing practices

Abstract

In Quebec, the elderly receive 4.5 prescriptions per year for sedative-hypnotic medications, most of which are benzodiazepines. Similar rates have been documented in the rest of Canada and other Western countries. Physician prescribing practices must be moderated, as the incidence of cognitive dysfunction, injury, and hidden disorders associated with benzodiazepine use in the elderly is on the rise. Strategies to moderate sleeping pill use are discussed; a revised, less toxic approach to managing insomnia is presented.