BACKGROUND Although a decrease in new prescribing has occurred for anxiolytic benzodiazepines, concerns have been raised that a 'core' of long-term users has been left behind. Typically, elderly people represent this 'core', using the benzodiazepines as hypnotics. OBJECTIVE The present study focuses on the reasons why hypnotic benzodiazepines are used for protracted lengths of time. By examin...

GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). The type A GABA receptor (GABA(A)R) system is the primary pharmacological target for many drugs used in clinical anesthesia. The α1, β2, and γ2 subunit-containing GABA(A)Rs located in the various parts of CNS are thought to be involved in versatile effects caused by inhaled anesthetics and classic benzodiazepines...

This descriptive and retrospective study was conducted at the poisoning ward of Imam teaching hospital, Sari, Iran, with the aim of evaluating the pattern of poisoning. Hence, the medical profiles of 2057 patients, who were admitted, were carefully reviewed during the period from April 2006 to March 2008 for 2 years. During this period, 2057 cases, 53.9% female and 46.1% male, were admitted wit...

This study aims to examine trends in outpatient psychotropic drug use among people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. The NHI outpatient medication records between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2007 for people with intellectual disabilities were analyzed to observe the percent change, prevalence and prescription trends in psychotropic drugs. The overall prevalence of psychotropic medi...

Many of you are aware of the difficulty we all face evaluating patients on opioids and other centrally acting drugs. In addition to opioids, many of our patients take, muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, sedative hypnotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants as well as over-thecounter drugs (antihistamines, anti-diarrheals, etc.) and various amounts of alcohol. We all try to document cognitive fun...

Review of the various drugs in current clinical use showed that over 50 of them may cause a purely sensory or mixed sensorimotor neuropathy. These include antimicrobials, such as isoniazid, ethambutol, ethionamide, nitrofurantoin, and metronidazole; antineoplastic agents, particularly vinca alkaloids; cardiovascular drugs, such as perhexiline and hydrallazine; hypnotics and psychotropics, notab...

BACKGROUND There is increasing recognition that the use of certain medications contributes to falls in seniors. Our objective was to update a previously completed meta-analysis looking at the association of medication use and falling to include relevant drug classes and new studies that have been completed since a previous meta-analysis. METHODS Studies were identified through a systematic se...

BACKGROUND Opioid prescribing for noncancer pain has increased dramatically. We examined whether the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles, psychologic distress, health care utilization, and co-prescribing of sedative-hypnotics increased with increasing duration of prescription opioid use. METHODS We analyzed electronic data for 6 months before and after an index visit for back pain in a managed...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the proposed synergistic teratogenic effect of use of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRI) together with sedatives or hypnotics, primarily benzodiazepines, during pregnancy. DESIGN Cohort study of congenital malformations after maternal use of SSRI, sedatives/hypnotics or the combination of the two drug categories. SETTING Swedish national health register...