MedPage Today (1/21, George) reports, “Benzodiazepines continued to be co-prescribed with opioids, despite risks that their concurrent use could lead to fatal overdose,” investigators from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics concluded in research (pdf) published online Jan. 17 in the National Health Statistics Reports. The report revealed that “from 2014 to 2016, benzodiazepines were prescribed at approximately 65.9 million office-based physician visits annually,” and “about 23 million (35%) of those office visits also involved an overlapping opioid prescription.” The study also found that “benzodiazepine prescribing rates were highest for women 65 and older,” while “women 65 and older also had the highest rate of co-prescribing, at 19 visits per 100 women.”
Related Links:
— “Opioid-Benzo Co-Prescribing Continues, Despite Risks, “Judy George, MedPage Today, January 21, 2020