While the nation tries to get a grip on the opioid crisis that has been raging for years, some doctors recommend that certain anti-anxiety drugs may be contributing to the problem. They also suggest that the growing numbers of prescriptions for these drugs may be an epidemic all its own.
The drugs now being called into question are benzodiazepines, also known as “benzos.” In this group of prescription medications are common drugs such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin, drugs that are meant to relieve anxiety but could in actuality be very dangerous.
Opioids and benzodiazepines both started being prescribed in large numbers in the 1990s, and they have not slowed down at all during that time. Between 1996 and 2013, the number of adults filling prescriptions for benzos increased from 8 million to 14 million, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. The rate of adults taking prescriptions for both opioids and benzos also nearly doubled in approximately the same amount of time, between 2001 and 2013.
That is where the danger really lies, as taking both opioids and benzos makes the chances of a deadly overdose even greater. Two benzos, Xanax and Valium, were linked to over 30 percent of opioid deaths between the years of 2010 and 2014. However, benzos come with their own dangers including developing a dependence on them, and the risk of seizures and death if a patient suddenly stops taking them.
Many states have recognized the problem and have published guidelines stating that patients can only take the drugs for a certain amount of time. These guidelines are similar to those that have been enacted for opioids. Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and New York City are a few areas that have issued such guidelines. In Massachusetts, the legislature also passed a bill that places benzos into a class of restricted drugs. North Carolina has not taken any action as of yet.
“It is now up to the doctors to act responsibly and to stop over-prescribing these drugs, just as they have with opioids,” says Ben Whitley of Whitley Law Firm. “They must do this by balancing the dangers of their patients taking these drugs with the dangers of taking them off them too quickly. Most importantly, they have a responsibility to ensure their patients are only taking them for a very short time.”
If doctors cannot act responsibly while prescribing these dangerous drugs, it is clear the country’s current drug crisis is only going to get worse.
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