Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use in Older Adults

Roughly one third of prescriptions for benzodiazepines are for long-term use, despite recommendations against this practice. In this prospective cohort study, researchers assessed benzodiazepine use in 576 older adults (mean age, 78; mostly white women) in Pennsylvania during the year after they first received benzodiazepine prescriptions (i.e., had no benzodiazepine prescription in the prior year). A baseline assessment included validated questionnaires for depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and pain. Long-term use was defined as possessing a benzodiazepine prescription for >30% of the subsequent year (medication possession ratio [MPR]).

At 1 year after initial prescriptions, 152 patients (26.4%) had received prescriptions that exceeded th…