A study published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)details what doctors nationwide are calling the next drug crisis. From 2005 to 2015, benzodiazepine prescriptions increased 50 percent. We’ll examine the role of benzodiazepines in the treatment of anxiety, pain management, as well as a possible link to the opioid crisis.
Guests
- Dr. Jonathan Fellers, addiction psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Maine Medical Center
- Dr. Leslie Ochs, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of New England
- Dr. Alyson Maloy, founder of Portland Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, where she specializes in cognitive, behavioral neurologic, and psychiatric disorders
- Devon Sherwood, Assistant Professor, University of New England College of Pharmacy; Clinical Psychopharmacology Specialist, Spring Harbor Hospital
Resources
- What are benzodiazepines?
- The benefits and risks of benzodiazepines
- Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors
- America's 'Other Prescription Drug Problem'
- Dangers of Combining Benzos and Alcohol
- Combination ofbenzos and opioids
- The natural history of toleranceto the benzodiazepines
- The effect of methylated vitamin B complex on depressive and anxiety symptoms
- Problems With Benzodiazepines in Elderly Patients