Adult Utilization of Psychiatric Drugs and Differences by Sex, Age, and Race
Among adults reporting taking psychiatric drugs, more than 8 of 10 reported long-term use. Prescribing information for the leading antidepressants includes limited information about appropriate duration of treatment. However, benzodiazepines have warnings about drug dependence, tolerance, withdrawal, and rebound symptoms. In a previous study, 5 we found most patients were long-term users of the hypnotic zopidem tartrate despite recommendations for short-term use, and many were combining it with other central nervous system depressants despite warnings. Safe use of psychiatric drugs could be improved by increasing emphasis on prescribing these agents at the lowest effective dose and systematically reassessing the need for continued use.