Rise in repeat scripts for sedatives a ‘wake-up call’

Certain benzodiazepines and Z-class sedative-hypnotics are increasingly being prescribed for long-term insomnia, risking dependence and other adverse outcomes, a general practice study suggests.
Researchers analysed insomnia prescribing patterns among nearly 56 million consultations for 1.8 million patients at 400 GP clinics that contribute to the MedicineInsight database.
They found that, although overall benzodiazepine scripts declined from 56.6 to 41.8 per 1000 consultations between 2011 and 2018, temazepam and diazepam were still twice as likely to be prescribed as any of the other drugs investigated.
“Despite the observed decline, current benzodiazepine prescribing rates are higher than expected, based on current recommendations,” said the researchers, from the University of Adelaide discipline of general practice.