Beyond opioids (Drug Crisis Includes Benzodiazepines, Anxiety Drugs)

[mountaineer]

Beyond opioids
America’s drug crisis now includes benzodiazepines, commonly prescribed for anxiety, and as the death toll grows, the underlying problems remain unaddressed
Emily Belz
Oct. 25, 2018
WORLD Magazine

... THE UNITED STATES IS FACING  potentially the third year of decreased life expectancy at the end of 2018, a streak that hasn’t happened since record keeping began. A record 72,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, even as opioid prescriptions were down. The ongoing deaths show a general crisis of drug addiction, not just opioids. ...

What are the drugs of despair? They’re not just opioids or heroin. When I talked to addiction doctors this month about troubling trends they’re seeing, they pointed me to benzodiazepines (“benzos”), a class of prescription drug that typically treats anxiety. That class includes drugs like Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Klonopin(.)...

While opioid prescriptions are down, benzo prescriptions are still rising and are among the most prescribed drugs in the United States. They’re very addictive, but patients often don’t understand the risks of long-term use and chemical dependence.  ...

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