Tag: Benzodiazepines

Understanding the lethal interactions between benzodiazepines and opioids to develop new harm reduction strategies

Posted on by capcbristol

By Dr Jo Kesten

A multidisciplinary project to understand why taking benzodiazepines or z-drugs and opioids together leads to so many deaths, brought together qualitative researchers with other specialists. One paper from the study has now been published in the Harm Reduction Journal, a pre-print for another paper is available and a third is underway. Here the qualitative team discuss their findings.

The number of people dying because of drugs is rising in the UK, especially in Scotland. Many of these deaths involve a combination of opioids (heroin or methadone) and benzodiazepines or z-drugs (sedatives often used to treat anxiety and insomnia), which are either prescribed or obtained illegally.

We set out to understand how benzodiazepines or z-drugs and opioids work together and why this makes a fatal overdose more likely. We aimed to achieve this first by talking to people about their use of benzodiazepines or z-drugs and … Read more

Why do GPs prescribe benzodiazepines in young adults with anxiety?

Posted on by capcbristol

Dr Charlotte Archer

 

 

 

By Dr Charlotte Archer, Research Fellow in Primary Care Mental Health, Centre for Academic Mental Health and Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol

Why did we do the research?

Benzodiazepines like Valium can be used to help manage the symptoms of anxiety. Research has found that the number of new prescriptions of benzodiazepines for patients with anxiety decreased between 2003 and 2018. It is likely that this is because there are some concerns in the medical community about prescribing benzodiazepines, such as dependency. However, although numbers have declined overall, rates of prescribing actually increased in young adults (those aged 18-34) from 2008 onwards.

Further, the clinical guidelines for the management of anxiety state benzodiazepines should only be used on a short-terms basis, around two to four weeks. Despite this, in 2017, just under half of the prescriptions for benzodiazepines were issued for … Read more

From the laboratory to the street: doing multidisciplinary research to understand the rising numbers of deaths involving opioids and benzodiazepines

Posted on by capcbristol

A University of Bristol multidisciplinary team from Bristol and Bath University has been working to understand the increase in deaths from taking both opioids and benzodiazepines (benzos). Here they reflect on how this approach has enhanced their research and made it more useful.

The problem

Drug use is a leading cause of premature death in many countries. Such deaths are increasing.

There are many reasons for this increase, including changes in the types of people who use drugs, and the rise in the use of fentanyls and other synthetic opioids.

Taking more than one drug at a time is another cause. For example, taking benzodiazepine (diazepam, etizolam, bromazolam) or z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone) along with opioids (heroin, methadone, buprenorphine) increases the chances of overdose and death.

Although many epidemiological and post-mortem studies have identified this risk, we still don’t know why combining these drugs increases mortality.

As a team our expertise … Read more