OBJECTIVE To analyse the evidence for the efficacy and potential harmful effects of benzodiazepines compared with other therapies in the treatment of acute alcohol withdrawal. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry were searched for English-language articles published from 1966 to December 1997 that described randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of benzodiazepines in ...

BACKGROUND Benzodiazepines are among the most frequently prescribed drugs. Of all their side effects, hip fractures and possibility of developing dependence are usually studied. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine how often do psychiatric outpatients suffer from adverse effects of benzodiazepines, and which adverse effects do they notice. SUBJECTS AND METHOD 109 patients on two...

Benzodiazepines are agents that enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter c-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the GABAA receptor, resulting in sedative, hypnotic, sleep-inducing, anxiolytic, euphoric, anticonvulsant and muscle-relaxant properties [1]. These properties make benzodiazepines useful in managing anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms and alcohol withdrawal, and as a pre-me...

Patients who have suffered burns frequently experience psychological consequences, among which anxiety disorders are prominent. Benzodiazepines are commonly administered to treat these symptoms. The effects of benzodiazepines on healing may not be direct but rather are modulated by alterations of the sleep architecture. This hypothesis is supported by studies that demonstrate the effects of ben...

Adverse effects of benzodiazepines limit their clinical use; these effects might be reduced without altering therapeutic effects by administering other positive GABA(A) modulators (i.e., neuroactive steroids) with benzodiazepines. One concern with this strategy involves reversing these combined effects in case of overdose. The current study examined whether flumazenil can attenuate the combined...

Antipsychotics are a key intervention strategy in pharmacotherapy in schizophrenia. However, the benzodiazepines are often prescribed to control sleep disturbances, anxiety or hostile behaviour. There is some evidence supporting the combination therapy with antipsychotics and benzodiazepines providing beneficiary treatment effect to the psychosis in positive and negative symptom domains as well...

Dr Obiora et al have presented some interesting data. One could quibble about the validity of the nested case-control model, but this issue is important mainly in identifying the fact that the patients were not individually assessed, nor were their particular variables, apart from the ones of interest, benzodiazepines and pneumonia, taken into consideration. Part of the randomness was accounted...

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...