ArticlePharmacology research & perspectives2022
Long-term benzodiazepines and z-drug prescribing in Australian general practice between 2011 and 2018: A national study.
Article in Pharmacology research & perspectives, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Minor tranquillizers for short-term treatment of newly onset symptoms of anxiety and distress: a systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomized trials.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Primary Care Prescribing Patterns for Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs, and Evidence Gaps Concerning Hydroxyzine and Seasonality: A Systematic Review.Clinics and practice · 2026Review
- Can general practitioners use smoking status data in electronic health records to recruit patients for lung cancer screening? A descriptive study using the MedicineInsight database.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Supporting General Practitioners to Deprescribe Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs in Primary Care: Findings From a Modified Delphi Study.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Article
- Role of gender, age and rurality in benzodiazepine consumption in Catalonia, 2018-2022: a retrospective longitudinal drug utilisation study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Anti-vertigo drug prescribing for patients with vestibular symptoms in primary care: a retrospective observational cohort study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Concurrent Prescribing of Opioids and Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs for Long-Term Use in Australian General Practice: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Using MedicineInsight.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2025Article
- A decade of Benzodiazepine and Z-drug use in Hong Kong: a longitudinal study.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Article
- Trends in Benzodiazepine and Z-Drug Prescriptions in Eastern China (2015-2021).Alpha psychiatry · 2025Article
- Treatment strategies for insomnia in Japanese primary care physicians' practice: A Web-based questionnaire survey.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- [Private Prescriptions In East And West Germany - A Secondary Data Analysis].Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2023Article
- Real or fake? Sourcing and marketing of non-prescribed benzodiazepines amongst two samples of people who regularly use illicit drugs in Australia.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Article
- Impact of long-term management with sleep medications on blood pressure: An Australian national study.Brain and behavior · 2023Article
- Effects of Japanese policies and novel hypnotics on long-term prescriptions of hypnotics.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2023Article
- Hypnotic prescription trends and patterns for the treatment of insomnia in Japan: analysis of a nationwide Japanese claims database.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- Trends and patterns of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs prescriptions in Australian general practice: A national study (2011-2018).Drug and alcohol review · 2023Article
- Long term use of benzodiazepines by patients cared for by primary care physicians in consultation with psychiatrists.Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2022Article
- Long-term benzodiazepines and z-drug prescribing in Australian general practice between 2011 and 2018: A national study.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Despite reducing benzodiazepine prescribing, benzodiazepine-involving deaths have substantially increased in Australia. This study aimed to explore patterns in long-term prescribing of medications (benzodiazepine and z-drugs [BZD]) used for sleep-issues/insomnia in Australia to better understand these changes. Open cohort study using de-identified electronic health records of 1 414 593 adult patients regularly attending 404 Australian general practices from 2011 to 2018 (MedicineInsight). We used logistic regression adjusted for patient and practice characteristics to; (1) estimate long-term BZD prescribing prevalence (≥3 prescriptions in 6 months) and the associated sociodemographic factors, and (2) Poisson regression to compute annual changes in prescribing rates. Long-term BZD prescribing changed from 4.4% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2015, remaining relatively stable until 2018 (annual increase +2.5% [95% CI +2.0%;+3.0%]). Long-term BZD prescribing in any year was up to six times more likely in elderly rather than in younger patients and 30%-43% more prevalent in females, or patients living in or attending a practice located in more disadvantaged areas. The increase was more pronounced among males, adults aged 35-49 years, and individuals living in advantaged areas. The median duration among incident cases decreased from 1183 to 322 days between 2011 and 2017, and was up to 197 days longer among elderly females than males. Despite a slight increase and recent stability in long-term BZD prescribing, the higher rates and durations among elderly patients, women, or those living in more disadvantaged areas are concerning and highlights the need for interventions that reduce the potential harms of long-term BZD use in vulnerable groups.
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