OBJECTIVES Benzodiazepines are among the most prescribed drugs indicated as anxiolytics, hypnotics, myorrelaxants or antiepileptics. Their main side effects are: reduced psychomotor activities, interaction to other drugs, like alcohol, and the development of dependence. In the present study it was evaluated the quality of the medical directions given to patients about those side effects. METH...

Over the last decade there have been further developments in our knowledge of the risks and benefits of benzodiazepines, and of the risks and benefits of alternatives to benzodiazepines. Representatives drawn from the Psychopharmacology Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Association for Psychopharmacology together examined these developments, and have p...

Selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used as a first-line treatment in depression. However, many depressed patients are also treated with benzodiazepines to alleviate increased anxiety and sleep disturbances normally associated with depression. Since benzodiazepines inhibit 5-HT neuronal firing activity, they might attenuate SSRI-induced increase in extracellular 5-HT leve...

We developed algorithms for confirmation and identification of benzodiazepines and their metabolites, initially detected in urine samples by enzyme-multiplied immunoassay (EMIT). These algorithms are based on the pattern of benzophenone derivatives of benzodiazepines obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with use of a modified specific ion selection mode. Benzophenone derivat...

Objective: To evaluate the association between use of benzodiazepines and incident dementia. Design: Prospective, population based study. Setting: PAQUID study, France. Participants: 1063 men and women (mean age 78.2 years) who were free of dementia and did not start taking benzodiazepines until at least the third year of follow-up. Main outcome measures: Incident dementia, confirmed by a neuro...

The English language literature on the use of benzodiazepines: in depressive disorders was reviewed. We selected double-blind random assignment studies in which benzodiazepines; were compared with reference drugs and/or placebo. Comparative studies with classical (non-triazolo) benzodiazepines in major depression show that these agents do not alleviate the core symptoms of depression, although ...

Objective: To assess the effects of benzodiazepines in management of depression. Methodology: An open label 8 week study of escitalopram with or without benzodiazepines in moderate to severe depression. 30 subjects willing to give written informed consent, fulfilling the inclusion, exclusion criteria were included in the study and grouped into escitalopram alone or escitalopram with benzodiazep...

Benzodiazepines are known as "acquisition-impairing" molecules, and their effects on anterograde memory processes are well described. In contrast, the impact of benzodiazepines on retrograde memory and, more particularly, on retrieval processes, is only marginally studied. This mini-review provides an overlook of the main studies evidencing an effect of benzodiazepines on retrograde memory, bot...

Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressant drugs often detected in biological samples from driving under the influence (DUI) offenders. They are associated with marked psychomotor impairment and represent up to 20% of all Miami-Dade County, Florida DUI urine samples analyzed in our laboratory annually. Flunitrazepam emerged in the mid-1990s as an illegal drug in the U.S. that was pre...

The present study employs a recently reported liquid chromatography-(time of flight) mass spectrometry procedure for the simultaneous analysis of 22 benzodiazepines in human urine specimens. The analysis focused on the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines and/or their metabolites. Using this method, the limit of quantitation for the benzodiazepines tested ranged from 2 to 10 ng/mL, while th...