Life> Health

Common drug can cause dependency

(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-26 09:44

People taking benzodiazepine, a drug class commonly found in sleeping pills and tranquillizers, should not discontinue its use abruptly, as withdrawal symptoms may be severe and make discontinuation difficult, an independent German scientific institute warns.

Citing a meta-analysis by the University of Queensland (Australia) School of Medicine, the Cologne-based Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) notes that benzodiazepine was potentially addictive and should be discontinued by reducing dosage gradually.

Patients who feel they are becoming physically dependent on sleeping pills or tranquillizers should speak with a physician or seek addiction counseling, the IQWiG advises on its website.

The Australian analysis, which included 32 studies with a total of about 16,000 participants, found that patients who had been urged in writing by a physician to stop taking benzodiazepine were more likely to do so.

Cessation rates were even better among patients who gradually reduced their dosage under the supervision of a physician. Also helpful, the analysis found, were psychological support, the use of substitute drugs, and self-help approaches such as relaxation techniques.

It remained unclear, however, which treatment approach was most effective at improving discontinuation in combination with a gradual dosage reduction.