INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of benzodiazepine (BZD) abuse among intravenous opioid users in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eligibility criteria for inclusion in this study were all intravenous buprenorphine abusers, who presented to the Community Addictions Management Programme (CAMP) over a 1-year period from February 2005 to Janua...

Benzimidazole drugs (BZDs) comprise a large number of synthetic anthelmintics, which are widely used in food-producing animals for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. To protect consumers from the risks related to BZDs residues, a simple, rapid, and efficient method for simultaneous determination of ten BZDs in animal tissues samples was developed. This analytical procedure involved extracti...

BACKGROUND Concerns were raised about pneumonia development from benzodiazepines (BZDs) and Z-drugs, but direct evidence is limited, conflicting and without examining the highly susceptible patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) nor specifying the risk for different drug utilizations. This study aimed to investigate whether use of BZDs and Z-drugs was each associated with an increased risk ...

Since the introduction of chlordiazepoxide in 1961, benzodiazepines (BZDs) are the most commonly prescribed medications in anxiety and insomnia (as well as their use in a large variety of other pathologies), in spite of a limited number of studies showing their efficiency for these two indications. It has been shown that the utilisation of these medications in aged patients represents 27% of th...

BACKGROUND Owing to the low therapeutic index of barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs) became popular in this country and worldwide many decades ago for a wide range of conditions. Because of an increased understanding of pharmacology and physiology, the mechanisms of action of many BZDs are now largely understood, and BZDs of varying potency and duration of action have been developed and market...

BACKGROUND Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics (Z-drugs) are advocated to be safer than benzodiazepines (BZDs). This study comprehensively investigated the association of BZD and Z-drug usage with the risk of hospitalisation for fall-related injuries in older people. METHODS This study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database with a nested matched case-control design. We identified 2238 el...

BACKGROUND Older adults are the main recipients of repeat prescriptions for benzodiazepine (BZD) hypnotics. BZDs can impair cognitive function and may not aid sleep when taken continuously for years. This study therefore aimed to determine if withdrawing from BZDs leads to changes in patients' cognitive function, quality of life, mood and sleep. METHOD One hundred and ninety-two long-term use...

BACKGROUND Among senior drivers, benzodiazepines (BZDs) have a documented effect on the risk of road traffic crashes (RTCs). It remains unclear however if BZDs play the same role when considering marital status. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of marital status in the association between BZD use and injurious RTCs among senior drivers. METHODS Matched case-control study based on f...

Discovered in the late 1950s by Leo Sternbach, the first benzodiazepine (BZD) chlordiazepoxide was followed by several congeners, which rapidly constituted one of the largest and most widely prescribed classes of psychotropic compounds. After 50 years, BZDs are still routinely utilized not only in psychiatry but, more generally, in the whole of medicine. Despite their high therapeutic index whi...

Background: For treatment of severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome, high dose benzodiazepines (BZDs) may cause delirium and oversedation. Phenobarbital (PBT) is a long-acting barbiturate effective for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. Given the potential benefits of PBT, we sought to investigate the effectiveness of PBT as adjunctive treatment for alcohol withdrawal. Methods: This was a retrosp...