ReviewCureus2021
Benzodiazepine Misuse: An Epidemic Within a Pandemic.
Review in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Substance use and mental health before versus during COVID-19 pandemic among persons who inject drugs with HCV infection history-the HERO study.Harm reduction journal · 2026Trial
- A 21-year Comparative Study of Prescriptions of Benzodiazepines and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Related Drugs in a Japanese University Hospital.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- The Association Between Number of Chronic Conditions and Benzodiazepine Prescribing in Region Stockholm, Sweden: A Total Population-Based Cohort Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Patterns of psychotropic drug dispensation in Portugal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Experiences of long-term benzodiazepine use and addiction amid changes in guidelines for the prescription of narcotic drugs: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Profiles of polysubstance use among people reporting past 12-month sleep-motivated nonmedical use of prescription tranquilizers/sedatives.The American journal on addictions · 2025Article
- Insights into the Silylation of Benzodiazepines UsingMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Review of the current ongoing clinical trials exploring the possible anti-anxiety effects of cannabidiol.Journal of cannabis research · 2024Review
- Article
- Despite the improved clinical sensitivity of the Roche benzodiazepines II assay it cannot replace mass spectrometry in all patient populations.Journal of mass spectrometry and advances in the clinical lab · 2024Article
- Article
- Using Smartphone Technology to Track Real-Time Changes in Anxiety/Depression Symptomatology Among Florida Cannabis Users.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2024Article
- Benzodiazepine Delorazepam Induces Locomotory Hyperactivity and Alterations in Pedal Mucus Texture in the Freshwater GastropodInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Long-Term Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Drug/Alcohol Use Prevalence in a Population with Substance Use Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Physician benzodiazepine self-use prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a population-level cohort study.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Add-On Treatment withPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Exploring trends in benzodiazepine-positive fatal drug overdoses in Tennessee, 2019-2021.Annals of medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- Alprazolam Detection Using an Electrochemical Nanobiosensor Based on AuNUs/Fe-Ni@rGO Nanocomposite.Biosensors · 2022Article
- A Need for Benzodiazepine Deprescribing in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cohort Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had deleterious effects on patients with mental health problems and several studies have shown a spike in the rates of depression, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety and insomnia rates have also increased among both the general public and health care professionals. Benzodiazepines are some of the most commonly used drugs in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. However, benzodiazepines are also misused, abused alone, or abused in combination with other drugs. Lockdowns and social distancing have also had negative consequences on patients with mental health problems. We assessed the extent of benzodiazepine use during the pandemic and interpreted its effects in the future. We conducted a literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol and eight articles reviewed specifically reported worrying fluctuations in benzodiazepine use during the pandemic. We observed varied trends in the usage of benzodiazepines in various parts of the world. Some studies showed an increase in the consumption of benzodiazepine while others demonstrated a decrease in the prescription refills of benzodiazepine, which may be a result of gaps in mental health care. At this time, we can conclude that the current trend with benzodiazepine use is fluctuating and mental health professionals must continue to exercise caution before prescribing benzodiazepines. Future research is also warranted to be aware of the changing patterns and to avoid misuse and/or abuse at an epidemic level.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.