Table 2.
Details on benzodiazepine prescriptions, 2017
| N | % of all benzodiazepine prescriptions | |
| Panel A: prescribed benzodiazepines ( n = 75 130 ) | ||
| Anxiolitics (N05BA) | ||
| Intermediate acting | ||
| Lorazepam | 29 945 | 39.9 |
| Oxazepam | 12 298 | 16.4 |
| Alprazolam | 5843 | 7.8 |
| Lorazepam+Diphenhydramine | 1557 | 2.1 |
| Long acting | ||
| Bromazepam | 9840 | 13.1 |
| Clorazepate | 3782 | 5.0 |
| Prazepam | 1122 | 1.5 |
| Others (ie, diazepam, clobazam, kétazolam) | 456 | 0.6 |
| Hypnotics and sedatives (N05CD) | ||
| Short acting | ||
| Midazolam | 3524 | 4.7 |
| Triazolam | 2039 | 2.7 |
| Intermediate acting | ||
| Lormatezepam | 755 | 1.0 |
| Temazepam | 366 | 0.5 |
| Long acting | ||
| Flurazepam | 2461 | 3.3 |
| Flunitrazepam | 838 | 1.1 |
| Nitrazepam | 284 | 0.4 |
| Mean | SD | Median | IQR | |
| Panel B: prescriptions among users ( n = 14 072 ) | ||||
| No. of benzodiazepine prescriptions | 4.94 | 5.43 | 4 | 6 |
| DDD | 111.23 | 145.40 | 60 | 128 |
| Mean daily dose | 0.85 | 1.65 | 0.70 | 0.62 |
| No. of different prescribers | 1.25 | 0.57 | 1 | 0 |
| No. of different drugs prescribed (any type)* | 10.2 | 7.2 | 9 | 9 |
| N | % | |
| No. of benzodiazepine prescriptions | ||
| 1 | 3839 | 27.3 |
| 2–5 | 5278 | 37.5 |
| 5–10 | 3427 | 24.4 |
| 10+ | 1528 | 10.9 |
| DDD | ||
| 0–30 | 5046 | 35.9 |
| 30–90 | 3371 | 24.0 |
| 90–180 | 3142 | 22.3 |
| 180–360 | 1713 | 12.2 |
| 360+ | 800 | 5.7 |
| Estimated treatment duration (days) | ||
| 0–15 | 2936 | 20.1 |
| 15–90 | 2095 | 14.9 |
| 90–180 | 2182 | 15.5 |
| 180–270 | 2440 | 17.3 |
| 270+ | 4419 | 31.4 |
| Mean daily dose | ||
| 0–0.5 | 5317 | 37.8 |
| 0.5–1 | 6893 | 50.0 |
| 1–2 | 1429 | 10.2 |
| 2+ | 433 | 3.1 |
*Total number of prescriptions of different therapeutic/pharmacological subgroups (ATC 4-digit).
DDD, defined daily dose.