ArticleBMJ open2015
Benzodiazepine prescribing in children under 15 years of age receiving free medical care on the General Medical Services scheme in Ireland.
Article in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prescription prevalence of psychotropic drugs in children and adolescents: an analysis of international data.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Psychotropic dispensing in Greek adolescents and young adults: national trends and regional variation.Frontiers in drug safety and regulation · 2026Article
- Recent trends in psychotropic medication use in children and adolescents in Ireland.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Article
- Temporal trends of the utilization patterns of sedative-hypnotic medications in children, adolescents and young adults: a 21-year population-based study with joinpoint regression analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Trends in the use and nonmedical use of sedatives-hypnotics in the population aged 12 to 64 years in Taiwan: a comparative analysis of the national surveys in 2014 and 2018.BMC public health · 2024Article
- GABA system as the cause and effect in early development.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2024Review
- Impact of a publicly-funded pharmacare program policy on benzodiazepine dispensing among children and youth: a population-based natural experiment.BMC pediatrics · 2023Article
- Prescription Benzodiazepine Use in Privately Insured U.S. Children and Adolescents.American journal of preventive medicine · 2019Article
- Benzodiazepine prescribing for children, adolescents, and young adults from 2006 through 2013: A total population register-linkage study.PLoS medicine · 2018Article
- Benzodiazepine and Z-drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo examine the prevalence and secular trends in benzodiazepine (BZD) prescribing in the Irish paediatric population. In addition, we examine coprescribing of antiepileptic, antipsychotic, antidepressant and psychostimulants in children receiving BZD drugs and compare BZD prescribing in Ireland to that in other European countries.
settingData were obtained from the Irish General Medical Services (GMS) scheme pharmacy claims database from the Health Service Executive (HSE)--Primary Care Reimbursement Services (PCRS).
participantsChildren aged 0-15 years, on the HSE-PCRS database between January 2002 and December 2011, were included. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Prescribing rates were reported over time (2002-2011) and duration (≤ or >90 days). Age (0-4, 5-11, 12-15) and gender trends were established. Rates of concomitant prescriptions for antiepileptic, antipsychotics, antidepressants and psychostimulants were reported. European prescribing data were retrieved from the literature.
resultsRates decreased from 2002 (8.56/1000 GMS population: 95% CI 8.20 to 8.92) to 2011 (5.33/1000 GMS population: 95% CI 5.10 to 5.55). Of those children currently receiving a BZD prescription, 6% were prescribed BZD for >90 days. Rates were higher for boys in the 0-4 and 5-11 age ranges, whereas for girls they were higher in the 12-15 age groups. A substantial proportion of children receiving BZD drugs are also prescribed antiepileptic (27%), antidepressant (11%), antipsychotic (5%) and psychostimulant (2%) medicines. Prescribing rates follow a similar pattern to that in other European countries.
conclusionsWhile BZD prescribing trends have decreased in recent years, this study shows that a significant proportion of the GMS children population are being prescribed BZD in the long term. This study highlights the need for guidelines for BZD prescribing in children in terms of clinical indication and responsibility, coprescribing, dosage and duration of treatment.
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