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. 1988 Feb 27;296(6622):603–606. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6622.603

Health of long term benzodiazepine users

E K Rodrigo, M B King, P Williams
PMCID: PMC2545236  PMID: 2894884

Abstract

The physical and psychological health of long term (over one year) users of benzodiazepines in one general practice was assessed by patients' self reporting of illness and by general practitioners' records. Of 3741 patients registered with the practice, 82 had been prescribed a benzodiazepine, and 64 of these agreed to enter the study. All but five of these patients were over 40 years of age, nearly a third (19) were given a diagnosis related to depression by interviewers, and between a third and a half reported a current physical illness.

Long term treatment with benzodiazepines is not necessarily optimum management but may reflect the realities of general practice.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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