benzodiazepine-related adverse respiratory effects by COPD severity “according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

We thank R. Katyal for his comments on our study as he raises some interesting points. Although there are some other physiology studies showing no association between benzodiazepine receipt and negative respiratory effects among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1, 2], physiology studies are limited in their ability to provide information on the true clinical impact of benzodiazepines in the COPD population. This is because they generally include small numbers of participants, administration of only a single benzodiazepine dose, short follow-up and do not examine for clinically meaningful respiratory outcomes. In contrast, our study [3] included a large population-based sample, real-world benzodiazepine doses and durations, a longer follow-up period, and important and relevant clinical respiratory outcomes.