Unseen Benzodiazepine Dependency Wave Predicted in 2021

2020 brought plenty of challenges to UK society as it sought to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and make the many necessary adaptions. A new challenge that is on the horizon for 2021 is the rise of prescriptions for benzodiazepines.

Benzodiazepines, sometimes referred to as ‘benzos’, are a class of psychoactive drug often prescribed by doctors to provide short term treatment for mental health disorders such as anxiety, insomnia and panic disorders. The most common types of benzodiazepines are diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and alprazolam (Xanax).

According to UKAT 2020, 12 million prescriptions for benzodiazepines are issued per year. Unfortunately, that has led to 1.5m people in the UK experiencing some degree of dependence on the medication, either getting a recurrence of symptoms or unpleasant withdrawal effects when attempting to stop them. Most people who deliberately misuse benzodiazepines also misuse other drugs or alcohol, and of this group, most (55.2%) obtain benzodiazepines from their doctor on prescription. Benzodiazepines can also be obtained from unregulated internet pharmacies.

At the end of 2020, three new benzodiazepines, flualprazolam, flunitrazepam and norfludiazepam, were made class C controlled drugs in recognition of their harmful effects. Meaning the illegal possession or supply of these medicines can result in heavy fines or lengthy imprisonment.  

Over a quarter of a million people in the UK are taking hypnotic medication (sleeping tablets) for longer periods than recommended. 

There is likely to be an increase in benzodiazepine prescribing resulting from mental health problems associated with the coronavirus pandemic, and therefore a similar rise in issues associated with these medicines.

What can the UK do to tackle this issue?

Public Health England has made several recommendations including, reducing current prescribing levels, ensuring adherence to existing guidelines for prescribing and withdrawal, and developing new guidelines where needed. Improvements to the support currently provided by healthcare services are required, and there is arguably a need for the national provision of a prescribed drug withdrawal service. Making support helplines accessible and free would be helpful.

More research is required to examine the use of benzodiazepines, as well as the class of hypnotic medication known as ‘Z-drugs’ (e.g. zopiclone, zolpidem) to better understand the demographics of long-term users.  

Benzodiazepines are widely prescribed and frequently abused across the UK. If you are struggling with your use of benzodiazepines there are many helplines you can refer too, and services to help you take back control. Making that move today can be the first step on the road to recovery.

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This article was written by one of the Odilia Clark team. Odilia Clark is a specialist HR services company with over 30 years of combined experience in the space. OdiliaClark offers an independent drug and alcohol testing service using state-of-the-art Dräger equipment as used by the British Police and Fire Services. OdiliaClark is currently consulting with several airlines and operators to help them deal with the impact of these changes.  

OdiliaClark is a specialist human resources company whose consultants are fully trained and certified in carrying out impartial, digital drug testing for companies’ employees. They also offer a range of other services including policy advice, writing and implementation which can include staff training services.   

For more information on how Odilia Clark can help your business deal with these changes with a bespoke package designed for your business contact info@odiliaclark.com.   

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