Articles related to BENZODIAZEPINES

Benzodiazepine use among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older declined before 2020 but remained largely unchanged through 2024. Long-term use persisted in roughly one-third of users, with smaller reductions among adults aged 75 years and older.

Short-term benzodiazepine use after mass trauma was not associated with increased 12-month PTSD risk in a large retrospective cohort. Persistent use showed a different pattern, and the observational findings did not establish causality.

Sedative-hypnotic drug effects vary with meal timing, metabolism, and drug half-life in patients with insomnia. These pharmacologic factors influence sleep onset and maintenance, particularly in patients with psychiatric comorbidities requiring concurrent medications.

Celebrity disclosures about using beta blockers for performance anxiety are prompting patient questions in primary care, reviving a decades-old off-label use with a comparatively lower risk profile than benzodiazepines.

A J Clin Psychiatry commentary proposes a risk-benefit matrix favoring empiric catatonia treatment when diagnostic uncertainty exists, citing the syndrome’s high morbidity and the effectiveness of available interventions.

Viatris recalled one lot of Xanax XR 3-mg extended-release tablets after failed dissolution testing, with the FDA classifying the action as Class II and reporting no adverse events to date.