HealthDay (3/2, Thompson) reports a study found that “benzodiazepine prescriptions have decreased in the United States, mainly among middle-aged adults and seniors.” According to federal health survey data taken between 2018 to 2022, “benzodiazepine use among adults dropped from 4.7% in 2018 to 3.4% in 2022.” The data show the decline “was steeper among those 56 and older – from 7.2% to 4.7% – compared to younger adults 36 to 55 (from 4.4% to 3.4%) and those 18 to 35 (2.1% to 1.8%). Researchers also found that nearly 42% of people using benzodiazepines also took another drug during the same year that can depress the central nervous system, increasing overdose risk.” Data further indicate that “between 2000 to 2019, benzodiazepine-related OD deaths leapt sixfold, rising from just under 0.5 deaths per 100,000 adults to nearly 3 per 100,000, researchers noted.” The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Benzodiazepine Use Down In U.S., But OD Risk Remains, Study Says,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 2, 2026