Concurrent benzodiazepine use in older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia

Zhong XM 1 , Wang F 2 , Zhang Q 3 , Ungvari GS 4 , Ng CH 5 , Chiu HFK 6 Show all authors , Si TM 7 , Sim K 8 , Avasthi A 9 , Grover S 9 , Chong MY 10 , Chee KY 11 , Kanba S 12 , Lee MS 13 , Yang SY 14 , Udomratn P 15 , Kallivayalil RA 16 , Tanra AJ 17 , Maramis MM 18 , Shen WW 19 , Sartorius N 20 , Mahendran R 21 , Tan CH 22 , Shinfuku N 23 , Xiang YT 2

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Neurology,The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Hui Hospital),Guangzhou,China
  • 2 Unit of Psychiatry,Faculty of Health Sciences,University of Macau,Macao SAR,China
  • 3 The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders,China &Center of Depression,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders & Mood Disorders Center,Beijing Anding Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China
  • 4 The University of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre,Perth,Australia
  • 5 Department of Psychiatry,University of Melbourne,Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
  • 6 Department of Psychiatry,Chinese University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong,China
  • 7 Peking University Institute of Mental Health (the sixth hospital)&National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & the Key Laboratory of Mental Health,Ministry of Health (Peking University),Beijing,China
  • 8 Institute of Mental Health, Buangkok View,Buangkok Green Medical Park,Singapore
  • 9 Department of Psychiatry,Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),Chandigarh,India
  • 10 Department of Psychiatry,Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center and School of Medicine,Chang Gung University,Taiwan
  • 11 Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health,Tunku Abdul Rahman Institute of Neurosciences,Kuala Lumpur Hospital,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
  • 12 Department of Neuropsychiatry,Kyushu University,Fukuoka,Japan
  • 13 Department of Psychiatry,College of Medicine,Korea University,Seoul,South Korea
  • 14 Department of Pharmacy,Taipei City Hospital,Taipei,Taiwan
  • 15 Department of Psychiatry,Faculty of Medicine,Prince of Songkla University,Songkhla,Thailand
  • 16 Department of Psychiatry,Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences,Thiruvalla,India
  • 17 Department of Psychiatry,Hasanuddin University Faculty of Medicine,Makassar,Sulawesi Selatan,Indonesia
  • 18 Dr. Soetomo Hospital - Faculty of Medicine,Airlangga University,Jawa Timur,Indonesia
  • 19 Departments of Psychiatry,TMU-Wan Fang Medical Center and School of Medicine,Taipei Medical University,Taiwan
  • 20 Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes,Geneva,Switzerland
  • 21 Department of Psychological Medicine,National University of Singapore,Singapore
  • 22 Department of Pharmacology,National University of Singapore,Singapore
  • 23 International Center for Medical Research,Kobe University School of Medicine,Kobe,Japan
Int Psychogeriatr, 2019 05;31(5):685-691.
PMID: 29212560 DOI: 10.1017/S1041610217002563

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground:Little is known about the combined use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in older psychiatric patients. This study examined the prescription pattern of concurrent benzodiazepines in older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia, and explored its demographic and clinical correlates.

METHODS: The data of 955 older adults with any type of psychiatric disorders were extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants (REAP-AD) project. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Both univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS: The proportion of benzodiazepine and antidepressant combination in this cohort was 44.3%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that higher doses of antidepressants, younger age (<65 years), inpatients, public hospital, major comorbid medical conditions, antidepressant types, and country/territory were significantly associated with more frequent co-prescription of benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

CONCLUSIONS: Nearly, half of the older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia are prescribed concurrent benzodiazepines. Given the potentially adverse effects of benzodiazepines, the rationale of benzodiazepines and antidepressants co-prescription needs to be revisited.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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