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1 lis 2016 · This article summarizes legitimate reasons for prescribing benzodiazepines in the elderly, serious associated risks of prescribing them, particularly when not indicated, barriers physicians encounter in changing their prescription patterns, and evidence-based strategies on how to discontinue benzodiazepines in older patients.
12 sty 2015 · Long-term use can lead to dependence and withdrawal symptoms when discontinued. Benzodiazepines can impair cognition, mobility, and driving skills in older people, as well as increase the risk of falls.
A 72-year old woman with a psychiatric history of anxious depression and insomnia is receiving ongoing psychotherapy and psychotropic management. Her mood disorder has been stable with escitalopram (10 mg/d) for 3 years. She has been taking lorazepam (1 mg nightly) since the death of her husband 12 years ago.
1 mar 2004 · These symptoms are consistent with the early stages of dementia but are also characteristic of normal aging. Cognitive impairment seems to develop insidiously as a late complication of benzodiazepine use. Long-acting benzodiazepines are most commonly associated with cognitive impairment.
1 mar 2024 · These include sedation, unsteadiness (falls in the elderly), mild physiological dependence with chronic use, and mild to moderate discontinuation symptoms when abruptly discontinued.
• For those who have been taking a long half-life benzodiazepine for only a short-term (e.g. up to 4 weeks of clorazepate or clonazepam), taper over 1 week • Alprazolam • For doses <4mg/day, taper by no more than 0.5mg every 3 days or no more than 0.25mg every week
recognize the risks associated with (long-term) benzodiazepine use, and (3) initiate/manage a benzodiazepine taper and name several alternatives to benzodiazepines for treating insomnia and anxiety in older adults.
