Objective:

To analyze the relationship between the duration of initial benzodiazepine prescriptions and the likelihood of treatment discontinuation.

Approach:

Key Findings:

• Longer initial benzodiazepine prescriptions were associated with a lower likelihood of discontinuation.
• Compared to prescriptions of 7 days or fewer, those of 8 to 14 days had about half the likelihood of discontinuation.
• Prescriptions of 15 to 30 days were associated with about one-quarter the likelihood of discontinuation, and those lasting more than 30 days with about one-seventh the likelihood.
• The median time to discontinuation was 19 days overall, with 16 days for females and 19 days for males.
• Patients dispensed 2 or more benzodiazepines were less likely to discontinue than those dispensed 1.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• Dispensing records could not confirm whether patients took medications as prescribed.
• Some medications, including z-drugs and certain psychiatric medications, were not fully captured.
• The analysis could not account for disease severity, nonprescribed benzodiazepine use, social stability, or other unmeasured factors.
• The study was observational, so findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causation.

Conclusion:

Sources:

• PLOS Medicine
Source

Based on findings from:

Shorter Initial Benzo Courses Linked to Discontinuation

Andrea Surnit. MDSpire News, 2026.

https://news.mdspire.com/psychiatry/articles/shorter-initial-benzo-courses-linked-to-discontinuation/

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