ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2019
Presentations to the emergency department with non-medical use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs: profiling and relation to sales data.
Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2019. 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.
- Zolpidem reduces pain intensity postoperatively: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of hypnotic medicines on post-operative pain intensity.Systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety Profile of Suvorexant for the Treatment of Insomnia.Current drug safety · 2026Review
- Article
- Fatal Intoxications with Zopiclone-A Cause for Concern?Drug safety · 2024Article
- Benzodiazepine Boom: Tracking Etizolam, Pyrazolam, and Flubromazepam from Pre-UK Psychoactive Act 2016 to Present Using Analytical and Social Listening Techniques.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Hospitalisations related to benzodiazepine, Z-drug, and opioid treatment in Italy: a claim on the risks associated with inappropriate use.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2022Article
- Risk of hospitalisation associated with benzodiazepines and z-drugs in Italy: a nationwide multicentre study in emergency departments.Internal and emergency medicine · 2020Article
- Combatting the misuse of benzodiazepines and related Z drugs in French general practice: a clinical review.BJGP open · 2020Article
- Acute poisoning related to the recreational use of prescription drugs: an observational study from Oslo, Norway.BMC emergency medicine · 2019Observational
- The Pain Control Efficacy of Zolpidem versus Melatonin after Intervertebral Disc Herniation Surgery under General Anaesthesia: A Randomised Clinical Trial.Journal of the West African College of SurgeonsArticle
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundNon-medical use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs is common; however, there is limited information available on the extent of harm related to this in Europe, as well as the relationship between misuse and availability.
aimTo describe presentations to the emergency department in Europe related to the recreational use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs and compare regional differences in these presentations with legal drug sales of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs within each country.
methodsEmergency department presentations with recreational misuse of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were obtained from the Euro-DEN dataset for the period from October 2013 to September 2015; data extracted included demographics, clinical features, reported coused drugs, and outcome data. Sales figures obtained by QuintilesIMS™ (Atlanta, Georgia) were used to compare regional differences in the proportion of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in the emergency department presentations and legal drug sales across Europe.
resultsOver the 2 years, there were 2119 presentations to the Euro-DEN project associated with recreational use of benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs (19.3% of all Euro-DEN presentations). Presentations with 25 different benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were registered in all countries, most (1809/2340 registered benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, 77.3%) of which were prescription drugs. In 24.9%, the benzodiazepine was not specified. Where the benzodiazepine/Z-drug was known, the most frequently used benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were respectively clonazepam (29.5% of presentations), diazepam (19.9%), alprazolam (11.7%), and zopiclone (9.4%). The proportions of types of benzodiazepines/Z-drugs related to ED-presentations varied between countries. There was a moderate (Spain, UK, Switzerland) to high (France, Ireland, Norway) positive correlation between ED presentations and sales data (Spearman Row's correlation 0.66-0.80, p < 0.005), with higher correlation in countries with higher ED presentation rates.
conclusionPresentations to the emergency department associated with the non-medical use of benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs are common, with variation in the benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs between countries. There was a moderate to high correlation with sales data, with higher correlation in countries with higher ED presentation rates. However, this is not the only explanation for the variation in non-medical use and in the harm associated with the non-medical use of benzodiazepines/Z-drugs.
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