Assessment of Abuse Potential of Benzodiazepines from a Prescription Database Using ‘Doctor Shopping’ as an Indicator

Pradel, Vincent; Delga, Catherine; Rouby, Frank; Micallef, Joëlle; Lapeyre‐Mestre, Maryse

doi:10.2165/11531570-000000000-00000

Cited by 78 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alprazolam was identified at least once in every participating country, but its potential for abuse in comparison with other benzodiazepines remains under discussion [1]. Since the 1990s, flunitrazepam has been particularly abused in France among opioid-dependent individuals treated with buprenorphine [7,24]. However, it is now one of the less frequently prescribed benzodiazepines in France [13,24,25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the 1990s, flunitrazepam has been particularly abused in France among opioid-dependent individuals treated with buprenorphine [7,24]. However, it is now one of the less frequently prescribed benzodiazepines in France [13,24,25]. Griffiths and Johnson [26] noted in their review that flunitrazepam and diazepam are the two benzodiazepines with the highest potential for abuse, as also seen in Sweden [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

Lapeyre‐Mestre

Gony²,

Carvajal³

et al. 2014

Eur Addict Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim: To identify prescription drugs involved in falsified prescriptions in community pharmacies in 6 European countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 2,105 community pharmacies in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden was carried out to collect all suspect prescription forms. For each reported drug, the number of reported falsified prescriptions per thousand inhabitants was estimated. A falsification ratio was calculated by dividing the number of reports by the number of defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day for this drug, computed from national sale or reimbursement data. Results: On 862 prescription forms, benzodiazepines (zolpidem, bromazepam, alprazolam), buprenorphine (as an opioid maintenance drug) and tramadol were the most frequently reported. Depending on their level of use in each country, methylphenidate, morphine and flunitrazepam presented the highest falsification ratios, particularly in Spain, Belgium and France. Conclusions: Stimulants, opioids and some benzodiazepines were the most frequently reported drugs in this survey on falsified prescriptions, but differences between countries were observed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

Lapeyre‐Mestre

Gony²,

Carvajal³

et al. 2014

Eur Addict Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is worth mentioning that, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic review of the literature on the misuse and dependence on benzodiazepines in the EU has been published until now. Nevertheless, for a small sample of the European literature on benzodiazepine misuse and dependence, see references [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Additionally, the misuse of anabolic steroids in the context of sports has also been excluded.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Misuse of Medicines in the European Union: A Systematic Review of the Literature

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Although awareness of the misuse of medicines is increasing, data on the extent of the problem in the European Union (EU) are lacking. Methods: In order to assess the magnitude and severity of the problem, a systematic review of the literature on the misuse of analgesics, opioid substitution medicines and sedatives/hypnotics (with the exception of benzodiazepines) was conducted using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Relevant literature was identified between 2001 and 2011. Results: The main groups of misused medicines include opioid analgesics, methadone, buprenorphine and Z-drugs. Regional trends in medicine misuse indicate heterogeneity across the EU with respect to misused medicine types and research activities. Prevalence, high-risk populations and factors contributing to medicine misuse are discussed. Conclusion: The implications of these findings for prevention, treatment, and policy in the EU are considered.

show abstract

“…In fact, 98% of these prescriptions were issued by one specific physician and dispensed by one specific pharmacy. [26,27] No study in France has reported this. However, an American study on the Researched Abuse Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS) System Program reports 314 calls to Poison Centers between 2003 and 2007 (4% of all calls) in which both liquid and tablet methadone were ingested.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Methadone Formulation in France: Results from 5 Years of Utilization

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Background. In France, methadone has historically been less accessible than buprenorphine. In 2008, a dry formulation (capsule) was introduced into the market, aimed in particular to improve methadone accessibility. Objective. To describe the impact (prevalence of use, patient profiles and compliance with requirements) of the dry methadone formulation in France. Method. A retrospective cohort (from 2008 to 2012) was created from the data of the French General Health Insurance System which covers 80% of the French population. For each years, all subjects affiliated to this insurance system in southeast France (about 8.5 million inhabitants) with at least two reimbursements of methadone between 1 st January and 31 st December were selected. Results. In 2012, the proportion of capsule users was almost the same as that of syrup users (40.0% versus 43.1%; p < 0.001). The rise in the number of methadone users has followed the rise in capsule users. Over the study period, the proportion of patients using benzodiazepines or antidepressants was 6-9% (p < 0.001) higher for capsule users than for syrup users. On average over the study period, 18% of subjects had at least one concurrent issue of the two forms. Conclusion. The study has shown the rapid spread of the capsule formulation among methadone users. This may suggest that the capsule is well accepted by patients and the medical community. However, the monitoring of methadone-related deaths should continue because of the pharmacodynamic properties of methadone and the context of relaxed regulations concerning access to methadone maintenance treatement (MMT).Abbreviations: see end of article.

show abstract

Assessment of Abuse Potential of Benzodiazepines from a Prescription Database Using ‘Doctor Shopping’ as an Indicator

Abstract: The DSI can be used to assess the relative abuse liability of benzodiazepines and to detect signals of new patterns of abuse in settings where centralized records of prescription or deliveries are available for the great majority of patients.

Cited by 78 publications

References 27 publications

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

A European Community Pharmacy-Based Survey to Investigate Patterns of Prescription Fraud through Identification of Falsified Prescriptions

Misuse of Medicines in the European Union: A Systematic Review of the Literature

New Methadone Formulation in France: Results from 5 Years of Utilization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About