Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan-Mar;11(1):12-18.
doi: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2017.01.004. Epub 2017 Mar 2.

Benzodiazepine prescriptions and falls in older men and women

[Article in English, Spanish]
Monica Martinez-Cengotitabengoa  1 , Maria Jose Diaz-Gutierrez  2 , Ariadna Besga  3 , Cristina Bermúdez-Ampudia  4 , Purificación López  4 , Marta B Rondon  5 , Donna E Stewart  6 , Patricia Perez  4 , Miguel Gutierrez  7 , Ana Gonzalez-Pinto  7
Affiliations

Benzodiazepine prescriptions and falls in older men and women

[Article in English, Spanish]
Monica Martinez-Cengotitabengoa et al. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment (Engl Ed). 2018 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Objective: Despite cautions by professional associations, benzodiazepines (BZD) and Z hypnotics (BZD/Z) are widely prescribed to older adults who are particularly susceptible to insomnia and anxiety, but who are also more sensitive to drugs adverse events. In this study, we assessed the prescription of BZD/Z drugs in a sample of older adults (≥65) who presented for emergency care after a fall.

Methods: We collected the type, number and dose of BZD/Z drugs prescribed and explored gender differences in the prescription.

Results: BZD/Z drugs were prescribed to 43.6% of the sample (n=654) and more frequently to women; 78.4% of prescriptions were for BZD/Z drugs with a short half-life. The majority of patients (83.5%) were prescribed only one type of BZD/Z, but 16.5% had been prescribed multiple BZD/Z drugs, with no gender difference. Doses higher than those recommended for older adults were prescribed to 58% of patients, being the doses significantly higher for men compared to women (70.0% vs 53.1%).

Conclusions: Over 40% of older adults presenting for emergency care after a fall had previously been prescribed BZD/Z drugs. Some important gender differences in the prescription of BZD/Z drugs were seen, especially prescription above the recommended dose and of drugs with a long-half life.

Keywords: Accidental falls; Aged; Ancianos; Benzodiacepinas; Benzodiazepines; Caídas accidentales; Gender; Género.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Deprescription of benzodiazepines and Z drugs: A shared responsibility.
    Muquebil Ali Al Shaban Rodríguez OW, Rodríguez Turiel C, Ocio León S, Hernández González MJ, Gómez Simón M, Fernández Menéndez MA. Muquebil Ali Al Shaban Rodríguez OW, et al. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment (Engl Ed). 2018 Jul-Sep;11(3):184-185. doi: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Mar 3. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment (Engl Ed). 2018. PMID: 29510901 English, Spanish. No abstract available.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

LinkOut - more resources