Strategies for discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine use: meta-analysis.

Background: The prevalence of benzodiazepine consumption in European countries remains at 2-3% of the general population despite the well-documented disadvantages of long-term use.

Aims: To review systematically the success rates of different benzodiazepine discontinuation strategies.

Method: Meta-analysis of comparable intervention studies.

The relevance of psychiatric and somatic comorbidity in depressed chronic benzodiazepine users.

Background: Comorbid conditions may add to the burden of depressed patients and hamper their treatment. We therefore investigated the impact of anxiety disorders and somatic comorbidity in a group of depressed chronic benzodiazepine users on disease status, treatment, benzodiazepine history and discontinuation outcome.

Methods: At screening for a discontinuation programme, full psychiatric status was determined using the MINI-interview and psychopathology was assessed using several rating scales.

The long-term outcome of a benzodiazepine discontinuation programme in depressed outpatients.

Objective: To assess longitudinally the prescription of psychotropic drugs in depressed patients after they participated in a benzodiazepine discontinuation programme.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty depressed patients on chronic benzodiazepine therapy took part in a discontinuation programme conducted in 36 general practices. After 2.

The Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptom Questionnaire: psychometric evaluation during a discontinuation program in depressed chronic benzodiazepine users in general practice.

Background: The Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptom Questionnaire (BWSQ, Tyrer et al. 1990) has been developed to measure distinct features of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. However, psychometric evaluations of this questionnaire are scarce.

[Treatment methods for discontinuation of long-term benzodiazepine use].

Treatment strategies for discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine usage can be divided into minimal interventions and gradual discontinuation programs. Minimal interventions invite patients to quit their long-term benzodiazepine usage on their own by making them aware of the adverse effects. This type of intervention is successful in about one fifth of patients.