ArticleBMJ open2018
Long-term benzodiazepine use in patients taking antidepressants in a public health setting in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Longitudinal patterns of antidepressant and benzodiazepine use associated with injurious falls in older adults with depression: a retrospective cohort study.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- Benzodiazepines: Drugs with Chemical Skeletons Suitable for the Preparation of Metallacycles with Potential Pharmacological Activity.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Person-centered, non-pharmacological intervention in reducing psychotropic medications use among residents with dementia in Australian rural aged care homes.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- Patterns of benzodiazepine prescription among older adults in Switzerland: a cross-sectional analysis of claims data.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Editorial: New Horizons in Health-Promoting Technologies: From Development to Rational Use.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Article
- Benzodiazepine use in hospitalized older adults: a retrospective observational study.Porto biomedical journalArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aims of the study were to investigate the prevalence of long-term use of benzodiazepines in patients taking antidepressants and to identify the risk factors associated with the prolonged use of benzodiazepines.
designCross-sectional study.
settingPublic health system in Brazil.
participantsOutpatients using antidepressants from January 2008 to December 2009 were included. The data were obtained from pharmacy databases and medical records. All individuals in the database were included in the study and were classified into two categories: (1) patients who had not used benzodiazepines combined with antidepressants or had combined the use of antidepressants with benzodiazepines for a short period (up to 4 weeks), and (2) those who used antidepressants plus benzodiazepines for a longer period (more than 4 weeks).
main outcome measureThe outcome measure is prolonged use of benzodiazepines (more than 4 weeks). We conducted a multivariate analysis to identify the factors associated with prolonged use of benzodiazepines.
resultsForty per cent of the 870 patients evaluated had prolonged use of benzodiazepines (more than 4 weeks). The risk factors associated with prolonged use were age above 35 years (prevalence ratio (PR): 2.18, 95% CI 1.55 to 3.06, P<0.001), female sex (PR: 1.47, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.02, P=0.019), diagnosis at least 3 years prior (PR: 2.1, 95% CI 1.6 to 2.8, P<0.001), use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (PR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.2, P<0.001) and having a prescription from a psychiatrist (PR: 6.5, 95% CI 3.2 to 13.2, P<0.001).
conclusionsProlonged use of benzodiazepines occurs more frequently in women, adults diagnosed several years earlier, users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants and those who received a prescription from a psychiatrist. Education of clinicians, especially with regard to these populations, may decrease the overuse and misuse of benzodiazepines.
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