Benzodiazepine Independence: pious hope or sound strategy?

Indications for benzodiazepine prescriptions in the elderly

“…Much discussion has recently focused upon the appropriateness of prescribing benzodiazepines as anxiolytics or hypnotics (e.g. CSM, 1988;Tyrer, 1988;Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, 1987a). The conclusion generally reached has been that caution should be applied when prescribing, although some have recently questioned whether many anxious patients have been deprived of appropriate medication because of the strong attitudes against the drugs (Uhlenhuth et al, 1988).…”

“….should only be given for disabling anxiety and not be continued beyond four weeks.' A balanced conclusion was reached by Tyrer (1988), on the basis of many years of experience in the field; he wrote: '. .…”

The EU challenge: New Organization and Culture around Psychotropic Prescription Drugs in the Nordic Count

“…In recent years, the long lasting and complicated problems relating to abstinence and the breaking of dependency have also been documented (Borg et al 1986;VIkander et al 1987;Bergman et al 1989;Mouland 1994) and in the medical debate one question now is if and how these substances are necessary (Tyrer 1988). The fact that so many people have used benzodiazepines regularly throughout the years contributes to making these problems both common and serious.…”