Millions of Older Americans Are Addicted to Benzodiazepines: Study

Millions of older Americans are addicted to benzodiazepines (benzos), according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine , which found that one in four older adults who are prescribed the drugs never stop using them. Of the close to 50 million U.S. adults aged 65 or older, about 9 percent are prescribed benzos, such as Xanax and Valium, more than any other age group, and the rate of use only increases with age, reports the Daily Mail . Benzos are recommended for short-term treatment among older adults because they are easily flushed from the body. For the study, researchers looked at the use of the pills by low-income older adults who participated in the Supporting Seniors Receiving Treatment and Intervention (SUSTAIN) program in Pennsylvania, which helps seniors with drug costs. Close to 600 adults received their first prescription for benzodiazepine between 2008 and 2016 from either primary care physicians or other non-psychiatrists. The researchers found that around 26 percent of the group still had a current or recent prescription just one year later. For every 10 extra days the prescription was written for, long-term use risk doubled.