Sedative-hypnotic prescription in an out-patient mental health service in the north-west

Sedative-hypnotic medications are commonly abused prescription drugs, which are commonly prescribed by psychiatrists. We aimed at studying benzodiazepine and related drug prescriptions among patients attending psychiatric out-patient clinics of a hospital in East Lancashire. A total of 6.2 per cent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical governance 2003-03, Vol.8 (1), p.65-68
Main Authors: Duddu, V., Saleem, P.T., Green, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesia
Anxiety
Benzodiazepines
Hospitals
Hypotheses
Iatrogenesis
Insomnia
Mental health
Mental health care
Patients
Pharmaceuticals
Prescription drugs
Prescriptions
Psychiatrists
Sleep
Studies
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Summary:Sedative-hypnotic medications are commonly abused prescription drugs, which are commonly prescribed by psychiatrists. We aimed at studying benzodiazepine and related drug prescriptions among patients attending psychiatric out-patient clinics of a hospital in East Lancashire. A total of 6.2 per cent of patients who attended the department in one representative week were prescribed benzodiazepine related drugs. A majority of these had anxiety disorders, and anxiety was the major indication for prescription of these drugs. Diazepam, temazepam and related drugs like zopiclone zolpidem were the most commonly prescribed. Most subjects had been on the drug for one to 12 months. The prescriptions were not in keeping with the BNF guidelines in most cases. The findings do not support the hypothesis of an unduly high prevalence of sedative prescriptions in this setting. The results highlight a need for complete documentation of various aspects of benzodiazepine prescriptions.
ISSN:1477-7274
2059-4631
1758-6038
2059-464X
DOI:10.1108/14777270310459986