Effect of withdrawal from long-term use of temazepam, zopiclone or zolpidem as hypnotic agents on cognition in older adults

Brief Intervention as a Method to Reduce Z-Hypnotic Use by Older Adults: Feasibility Case Series

BACKGROUND

Z-hypnotics or z-drugs are commonly prescribed for insomnia and sleep difficulties in older adults. These drugs are associated with adverse events and dependence and are not recommended for long-term use. Despite evidence of older adults being more sensitive to a wide array of adverse events and clinical guidelines advocating limiting use, inappropriate use in this population is still prevalent. Previous intervention studies have focused mainly on prescriber information. Simple, individually focused intervention designs are less studied. Brief intervention (BI) is a simple, easily transferable method mainly used to treat patients at risk of alcohol overuse.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to design and test the feasibility and acceptability of a BI intervention adapted to address individual, inappropriate use of z-hypnotics among older adults. This preparatory study aimed to optimize the intervention in advance of a quantitative randomized controlled trial investigating the treatment effect in a larger population.

METHODS

This feasibility case series was conducted at Akershus University Hospital, Norway, in autumn 2021. We included 5 adults aged ≥65 years with long-term (≥4 weeks) use of z-hypnotics and 2 intervening physicians. Additionally, 2 study investigators contributed with process evaluation notes. The BI consists of information on the risk of inappropriate use and individualized advice on how to reduce use. The focus of the intervention is behavioral and aims, in cooperation with the patient and based on shared decision-making, to change patient behavior regarding sleep medication rather than physician-based detoxification and termination of z-hypnotic prescriptions. Qualitative and descriptive quantitative data were collected from intervening physicians, study investigators, and participants at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 6-week follow-up.

RESULTS

Data were obtained from 2 physicians, 2 study investigators, and 5 participants (4 women) with a median age of 84 years. The average time spent on the BI consultation was 15 minutes. All 5 participants completed the intervention without problems. The participants and 2 intervening physicians reported the intervention as acceptable and were satisfied with the delivery of the intervention. After the intervention, 2 participants stopped their use of z-hypnotics completely and participated in the follow-up interview. Study investigators identified logistical challenges regarding location and time requirements. Identified aspects that may improve the intervention and reduce dropouts included revising the intervention content, focusing on rebound insomnia, adding an information leaflet, and supporting the patient in the period between the intervention and follow-up. The notion that the intervention should best be located and conducted by the patient's own general practitioner was supported by the participants.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified important aspects to improve the designed intervention and found that the BI is feasible and acceptable for incorporation into a larger randomized trial investigating the treatment effect of BI for reducing z-hypnotic use by older adults.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03162081; http://tinyurl.com/rmzx6brn.

Long-Term Use of Insomnia Medications: An Appraisal of the Current Clinical and Scientific Evidence

While evidence supports the benefits of medications for the treatment of chronic insomnia, there is ongoing debate regarding their appropriate duration of use. A panel of sleep experts conducted a clinical appraisal regarding the use of insomnia medications, as it relates to the evidence supporting the focus statement, "No insomnia medication should be used on a daily basis for durations longer than 3 weeks at a time". The panelists' assessment was also compared to findings from a national survey of practicing physicians, psychiatrists, and sleep specialists. Survey respondents revealed a wide range of opinions regarding the appropriateness of using the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for the treatment of insomnia lasting more than 3 weeks. After discussion of the literature, the panel unanimously agreed that some classes of insomnia medications, such as non-benzodiazepines hypnotics, have been shown to be effective and safe for long-term use in the appropriate clinical setting. For eszopiclone, doxepin, ramelteon and the newer class of dual orexin receptor antagonists, the FDA label does not specify that their use should be of a limited duration. Thus, an evaluation of evidence supporting the long-term safety and efficacy of newer non-benzodiazepine hypnotics is timely and should be considered in practice recommendations for the duration of pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia.

Pharmacopuncture Effects on Insomnia Disorder: Protocol for a Multi-Site, Randomized, Acupuncture-Controlled, Clinical Trial

Insomnia is a common health problem that can lead to various diseases and negatively impact quality of life. Pharmacopuncture is a new type of acupuncture that involves applying herbal medicine extracts to acupoints. Korean medicine doctors frequently use it to treat insomnia disorder. However, there is insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for insomnia disorder. We designed a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of pharmacopuncture and acupuncture for insomnia disorder. This multi-site, randomized, acupuncture-controlled trial will enroll 138 insomnia patients. The subjects will be randomly assigned to one of two groups, pharmacopuncture or acupuncture, at a 2:1 ratio. For 4 weeks, the participants will receive ten sessions of pharmacopuncture or acupuncture treatment and will be followed up for 4 weeks after the treatment ends. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score is the primary outcome measure. Insomnia severity index score, sleep parameters recorded using actigraphy and sleep diaries, physical symptoms associated with insomnia, emotions, quality of life, medical costs, and safety are the secondary outcome measures. The findings of this trial willprovide evidence that will be useful in clinical decision-making for insomnia treatment strategies.

Current practice in benzodiazepine receptor agonists deprescribing on acute geriatric wards: a cohort study

Background

Benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA) use is highly prevalent in hospitalised older people although these drugs are associated with numerous and serious adverse events. Deprescribing can reduce risks associated with chronic BZRA use. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of, and factors associated with, BZRA deprescribing in acute geriatric units.

Methods

During a one-year period, this multicentre retrospective study included patients aged ≥70 years, hospitalised in acute geriatric units, and using ≥1 BZRA on admission. BZRA deprescribing at discharge was defined as: ≥25% decrease in lorazepam-equivalent admission dose; discontinuation of all BZRAs; or cessation of a rescue prescription at discharge. BZRA cessation was defined as discontinuation of all BZRAs at discharge. We identified social, medical, geriatric and medication factors associated with BZRA deprescribing using logistic regression.

Results

In total, 561 patients were included (mean age: 85.3±5.9 years, 70% of women). BZRA deprescribing occurred in 240 (42.8%), including 85 with BZRA cessation (15.2%). Deprescribing occurred more frequently in patients with a BZRA-related adverse event on admission or during hospital stay (odds ratio (OR) 4.5; 95% confidence interval [2.6; 7.9]), with an antidepressant (1.6 [1.1; 2.4]) and a higher lorazepam-equivalent dosage on admission (OR 1.2 [1; 1.4]), and less frequently in patients with antipsychotic drug (OR 0.5 [0.3; 0.8]). BZRA cessation was more likely in patients with a BZRA-related adverse event (OR 2.2 [1.2; 4.3]) and a lower lorazepam-equivalent dosage on admission (OR 0.5 [0.3; 0.6]).

Conclusions

During hospitalisation in the acute geriatric units of our hospital, BZRA deprescribing occurred in 42.8% of the patients. Identification of an BZRA-related adverse event by the treating physician appears to be a major factor: this reactive deprescribing accounted for 74% of cases in our study. Further prospective studies are needed to measure long-term persistence of in-hospital deprescribing and encourage proactive management.

Study protocol-Evoked craving in high-dose benzodiazepine users

Benzodiazepine (BDZ) abuse, especially concerning high doses of BDZs, is an impairing substance use disorder (SUD) that is often difficult to treat. Craving and cue reactivity (CR) are two important phenomena that have a prominent role in maintaining addiction and triggering relapses in BDZ abuse; nevertheless, they have rarely been addressed in scientific literature. The present study aims to fill these gaps by implementing a highly innovative virtual reality (VR) design to assess the impact of substance-related environmental cues on BDZ craving, as well as their influence on patients' affective states. Therefore, on one hand, this research will contribute to the assessment of VR feasibility in the study of these phenomena, and, on the other, it will help disentangle the role that CR and craving have on mood and attention, which are equally important factors to consider when treating SUDs. We will recruit a healthy control group and a patient group comprising people seeking treatment for BDZ detoxification. The experimental design will consist of the presentation of three VR scenarios, one neutral, one BDZ-related but without BDZ cues, and another with BDZ cues. The craving will be measured through a virtual analog scale (VAS); the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Alcohol Attention Scale (AAS) questionnaires in a modified version will also be administered. We will additionally control for VR-induced feelings of sickness by administering the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and the Presence Questionnaire (PQ) will be used to investigate participants' sense of presence in virtual environments. We expect patients to exhibit higher levels of craving, and that the craving will be higher after exposure to a cue-related virtual environment as compared to a neutral scenario.

Polysubstance Use Patterns Among High Dose Benzodiazepine Users: A Latent Class Analysis and Differences Between Male and Female Use

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) represent one of the most widely used groups of pharmaceuticals, but if used for long periods of time they are associated with dependence and an increased risk of harmful effects. High-dose (HD) BZD dependence is a specific substance use disorder associated with a poor quality of life. It is especially important to pinpoint differences in HD BZD addict subgroups in order to tailor treatment to the individual's specific needs, also considering possible comorbidities with other substance use disorders. We conducted a study to evaluate HD BZD dependence (converted doses to diazepam equivalents, mg) in an Italian sample of 1,354 participants. We also investigated if and to which extent participants co-used other substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis/cannabinoids, cocaine, and heroin). We then performed latent class analysis (LCA) to identify the use patterns of these substances, finding three classes: participants in Class 1 (4.3% of the sample) had the highest probability of also using cocaine and alcohol (Polysubstance BZD users); Class 2 comprised subjects with the highest probability of being former heroin, cocaine, THC, and alcohol users (Former polysubstance BZD users); Class 3 represented mono-dependence BZD users (78.5% of the sample) and was the most prevalent among women, while young men were most prevalent in Class 1. The present study underlines different characteristics in HD BZD users both concerning other addictions and sex, and also highlights the need for a stricter control of BZD use, ranging from prescriptions to sales.

Detoxification Improves Multidomain Cognitive Dysfunction in High-Dose Benzodiazepine Abusers

Purpose

High-dose benzodiazepines (BZDs) abuse has been documented to cause multidomain cognitive dysfunction. We explored whether cognitive abnormalities to high-dose BZD abuse might be reversed by detoxification with slow subcutaneous infusion of flumazenil.

Methods

We recruited 96 patients consecutively admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine, Addiction Medicine Unit, Verona University Hospital, Italy for detoxification from high-dose BZD dependence. After selection for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 patients (23 men, 27 women; age 42.7 ± 10.3 years) were included. They underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to explore verbal memory, visuospatial memory, working memory, attention, and executive functions 28–30 days prior to admission for detoxification (T0) and at the end of detoxification, i.e., 7 days after admission (T1). A group of 50 healthy adults (24 men, 26 women; mean age 44.5 ± 12.8 years) matched for age, sex, and education served as controls.

Results

At T0, patients scored significantly worse than healthy controls in all the neuropsychological tests. Depression and anxiety scores were associated with impaired verbal memory at T0 in patients. T1–T0 comparison showed improved performances in all neuropsychological tests after the end of detoxification in patients.

Conclusion

We confirmed that all neuropsychological domains were significantly and profoundly impaired by high-dose BZD abuse and documented that cognitive abnormalities improved after detoxification with slow subcutaneous infusion of flumazenil.

Enhanced coordination of care to reduce medication risks in older home care clients in primary care: a randomized controlled trial

Background

As populations are aging, a growing number of home care clients are frail and use multiple, complex medications. Combined with the lack of coordination of care this may pose uncontrolled polypharmacy and potential patient safety risks. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a care coordination intervention on medication risks identified in drug regimens of older home care clients over a one-year period.

Methods

Two-arm, parallel, cluster randomized controlled trial with baseline and follow-up assessment at 12 months. The study was conducted in Primary Care in Lohja, Finland: all 5 home care units, the public healthcare center, and a private community pharmacy. Participants: All consented home care clients aged > 65 years, using at least one prescription medicine who were assessed at baseline and at 12 months. Intervention: Practical nurses were trained to make the preliminary medication risk assessment during home visits and report findings to the coordinating pharmacist. The coordinating pharmacist prepared the cases for the triage meeting with the physician and home care nurse to decide on further actions. Each patient’s physician made the final decisions on medication changes needed.

Outcomes were measured as changes in medication risks: use of potentially inappropriate medications and psychotropics; anticholinergic and serotonergic load; drug-drug interactions.

Results

Participants (n = 129) characteristics: mean age 82.8 years, female 69.8%, mean number of prescription medicines in use 13.1. The intervention did not show an impact on the medication risks between the original intervention group and the control group in the intention to treat analysis, but the per protocol analysis indicated tendency for effectiveness, particularly in optimizing central nervous system medication use. Half (50.0%) of the participants with a potential need for medication changes, agreed on in the triage meeting, had none of the medication changes actually implemented.

Conclusion

The care coordination intervention used in this study indicated tendency for effectiveness when implemented as planned. Even though the outcome of the intervention was not optimal, the value of this paper is in discussing the real world experiences and challenges of implementing new practices in home care.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02545257). Registered September 9 2015.

Long-term persistence of withdrawal of temazepam, zopiclone, and zolpidem in older adults: a 3-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Studies on persistence of benzodiazepine agonist (BZDA) withdrawal in older outpatients are few, and few studies on long-term persistence over years have yet been published. To describe the persistence of temazepam, zolpidem, and zopiclone (BZDA) withdrawal among older outpatients at 3 years from the beginning of withdrawal, as well as any changes in use of other medications.

METHODS

92 outpatients (≥55 years) with primary insomnia, long-term BZDA use as hypnotics (mean duration of BZDA use 9.9 ± 6.2 years), and willingness to withdraw from BZDAs each received either melatonin or a placebo nightly for one month. During this period, BZDAs were meant to be gradually withdrawn. Sleep hygiene counselling and psychosocial support were provided. Three years later, use of BZDAs and other medications was determined by interview and confirmed from medical records.

RESULTS

Of the original 92 outpatients, 83 (90%) participated in the 3-year survey (mean follow-up 3.3 ± 0.2 years). The number of BZDA-free participants decreased from 34 (37%) at 6 months to 26 (28%; intention-to-treat) at 3 years, that of irregular BZDA users decreased from 44 (48%) at 6 months to 27 (29%) at 3 years, while that of regular users increased from 11 (12%) at 6 months to 30 (33%) at 3 years (P = 0.001). Those who were regular BZDA users at 3 years had at baseline (before withdrawal) higher BMI (P = 0.001) than did other participants. At 3 years, the total number of medications remained unchanged for non-users (P = 0.432), but increased for the irregular (P = 0.011) and regular users (P = 0.026) compared to baseline. At 3 years, compared to baseline, use of antidepressants, dopamine agonists, melatonin, and NSAIDs/paracetamol was significantly more common in the whole cohort, but their use did not differ between the BZDA-user subgroups. Randomization to melatonin or placebo during BZDA withdrawal was unrelated to BZDA-withdrawal result.

CONCLUSIONS

At 3 years after withdrawal, the number of BZDA-free participants had decreased, but still one-third of the subjects remained BZDA-free, and one-third had reduced their use. Successful BZDA withdrawal did not lead to any increase in total number of medications; use of symptomatic medications in the whole cohort, however, did increase.

Trends in the long-term use of benzodiazepine anxiolytics and hypnotics: A national register study for 2006 to 2014

PURPOSE

Long-term benzodiazepine (BZD) treatment continues to be a debated topic. Because individual BZDs have different clinical profiles, we assessed the nationwide trends of long-term BZD use at active substance level during years 2006 to 2014.

METHODS

This study covered all reimbursed BZD purchases (n = 408 572-521 823 annually) for adults recorded in the Finnish Prescription Register. We assessed long-term use (annual cumulative purchase of ≥180 defined daily doses) in general, and at active substance level with the most commonly used BZD anxiolytics (oxazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, and clonazepam for nonepilepsy indications) and hypnotics (zopiclone, zolpidem, and temazepam) included. The persistence rates for each substance were assessed separately.

RESULTS

The prevalence of long-term BZD use among Finnish adults declined significantly from 5.3% to 3.6%, during years 2006 to 2014. Despite this decline, there was a significant increase in the long-term use of clonazepam for nonepilepsy indications and zolpidem (28.0% and 17.5%, respectively). Long-term use was common in the aged population, as well as among the users of hypnotics or clonazepam. Persistent use of 9 consecutive calendar years varied between 7.5% for incident alprazolam users and 21.0% for incident clonazepam users.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a declining trend in long-term BZD use, but the decline was not uniform between the substances-the long-term use of clonazepam and zolpidem even increased. Follow-up research is needed to assess whether the decline in BZD use is accompanied by an increased use of other types of anxiolytic or hypnotic drugs or other forms of treatment.

Emergency department visits involving benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine receptor agonists

OBJECTIVE

Sedative-hypnotic medications (e.g., Benzodiazepines [BZDs] and non-benzodiazepine receptor agonists [nBZRAs]) are associated with adverse events, especially in the elderly, that may require emergency department (ED) treatment. This study assessed outcomes from ED visits attributed to BZDs and/or nBZRAs, and variations in these associations by age group.

METHODS

Data came from the 2004-2011 waves of the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Visits were categorized as involving: (1) BZDs-only, (2) nBZRAs-only, (3) combination of BZDs and nBZRAs, or (4) any other sedative-hypnotic medication. DAWN also recorded the disposition (i.e., outcome) of the visit. Analyses focused on outcomes indicating a serious disposition defined as hospitalization, patient transfer or death. Using logistic regression, the association of BZD and nBZRA use with visit disposition was assessed after applying sample weights so as to be nationally representative of ED visits in the United States involving medications or illicit substances.

RESULTS

Nineteen percent of visits involving other sedative-hypnotics, 28% involving BZDs-only, 20% involving nBZRAs-only and 48% involving a combination of BZDs and nBZRAs resulted in a serious disposition. Compared to visits involving other sedative-hypnotics, visits involving BZDs-only had 66% greater odds (Odds Ratio [OR]=1.66, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.37-2.01), and visits involving a combination of BZDs and nBZRAs had almost four times increased odds of a serious disposition (OR=3.91, 95% CI=2.38-6.41). Results were similar across age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the need for clinical and regulatory initiatives to reduce BZD use, especially in combination with nBZRAs, and to promote treatment with safer alternatives to these medications.

Psychotropic drugs and risk of burn injury in individuals with mental illness: a 10-year population-based case-control study

PURPOSE

We aimed to investigate the association between psychotropic treatment and risk of burn injury in individuals with mental illness.

METHODS

A nested case-control study was conducted by using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. A total of 3187 cases with burn injury under International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 940-949 and 19 122 matched controls were identified from 2003 to 2012. Four kinds of psychotropic agents (antipsychotics (APs), antidepressants (ADs), benzodiazepines, and z-drugs) were examined. Psychotropic exposure status was measured, and a set of potential confounding factors was adjusted in the analyses. Conditional logistic regressions were applied to determine the effect of psychotropic use on burn injury.

RESULTS

A significant increased risk of burn injury was observed among psychotropic users compared with non-users (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.31-1.61). When classifying psychotropic users into current, new, continuous, and past users, a significant elevated risk of burn injury was found across all groups (AOR = 1.76, 95%CI = 1.54-2.00 in current users; AOR = 2.02, 95%CI = 1.55-2.65 in new users; AOR = 1.72, 95%CI = 1.50-1.96 in continuous users; and AOR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.21-1.51 in past users). When assessing each individual kind of examined psychotropic agents, a significant elevated risk of burn injury was found among users of APs, ADs, benzodiazepines, and z-drugs except for current and continuous users of z-drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate an elevated risk of burn injury among individuals with current psychotropic use. The findings underscore the need for greater attention to be given to the cognitive performance and psychomotor abilities of individuals taking psychotropic medications in order to prevent the occurrence of burn injury. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Insomnia Comorbid with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Insomnia is often comorbid with obstructive sleep apnea. It reduces positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy acceptance and adherence. Comorbid patients show greater daytime impairments and poorer health outcomes. The insomnia often goes undiagnosed, undertreated, or untreated. Pharmacotherapy is not recommended for long-term treatment. Although care should be taken administering behavioral therapies to patients with elevated sleepiness, cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is an effective and durable nondrug therapy that reduces symptoms and may increase the effectiveness of PAP therapy. Sleep clinics should be alert to comorbid insomnia and provide adequate diagnostic tools and clinicians with CBTi expertise.

The feasibility and effect of deprescribing in older adults on mortality and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

Deprescribing is a suggested intervention to reverse the potential iatrogenic harms of inappropriate polypharmacy. The review aimed to determine whether or not deprescribing is a safe, effective and feasible intervention to modify mortality and health outcomes in older adults.

METHODS

Specified databases were searched from inception to February 2015. Two researchers independently screened all retrieved articles for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. Data were pooled using RevMan v5.3. Eligible studies included those where older adults had at least one medication deprescribed. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were adverse drug withdrawal events, psychological and physical health outcomes, quality of life, and medication usage (e.g. successful deprescribing, number of medications prescribed, potentially inappropriate medication use).

RESULTS

A total of 132 papers met the inclusion criteria, which included 34 143 participants aged 73.8 ± 5.4 years. In nonrandomized studies, deprescribing polypharmacy was shown to significantly decrease mortality (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.60). However, this was not statistically significant in the randomized studies (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.61-1.11). Subgroup analysis revealed patient-specific interventions to deprescribe demonstrated a significant reduction in mortality (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.88). However, generalized educational programmes did not change mortality (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.86-1.69).

CONCLUSIONS

Although nonrandomized data suggested that deprescribing reduces mortality, deprescribing was not shown to alter mortality in randomized studies. Mortality was significantly reduced when applying patient-specific interventions to deprescribe in randomized studies.

Pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders and its relationship with neuroplasticity

Sleep and wakefulness are regulated by complex brain circuits located in the brain stem, thalamus, subthalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Wakefulness and NREM and REM sleep are modulated by the interactions between neurotransmitters that promote arousal and neurotransmitters that promote sleep. Various lines of evidence suggest that sleep disorders may negatively affect neuronal plasticity and cognitive function. Pharmacological treatments may alleviate these effects but may also have adverse side effects by themselves. This chapter discusses the relationship between sleep disorders, pharmacological treatments, and brain plasticity, including the treatment of insomnia, hypersomnias such as narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome (RLS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and parasomnias.

Handgrip strength and balance in older adults following withdrawal from long-term use of temazepam, zopiclone or zolpidem as hypnotics

Background

Benzodiazepines and related drugs affect physical functioning negatively and increase fall and fracture risk. As impaired muscle strength and balance are risk factors for falls, we examined the effects of hypnotic withdrawal on handgrip strength and balance in older adult outpatients during and after long-term use of temazepam, zopiclone and zolpidem (here collectively referred to as “benzodiazepines”).

Methods

Eighty-nine chronic users (59 women, 30 men) of temazepam, zopiclone or zolpidem aged ≥55 years participated in a benzodiazepine withdrawal study. Individual physician-directed withdrawal was performed gradually over a one-month period and participants were followed up to six months. Handgrip strength was assessed using a handheld dynamometer, and balance using the Short Berg’s Balance Scale during the period of benzodiazepine use (baseline), and at 1, 2, 3 weeks, and 1, 2 and 6 months after initiating withdrawal. Withdrawal outcome and persistence were determined by plasma benzodiazepine-determinations at baseline and at four weeks (“short-term withdrawers”, n = 69; “short-term non-withdrawers”, n = 20), and by interviews at six months (“long-term withdrawers”, n = 34; “long-term non-withdrawers”, n = 55). Also most of the non-withdrawers markedly reduced their benzodiazepine use.

Results

Within three weeks after initiating withdrawal, handgrip strength improved significantly (P ≤ 0.005) compared to baseline values. Among women, long-term withdrawers improved their handgrip strength both when compared to their baseline values (P = 0.001) or to non-withdrawers (P =0.004). In men, improvement of handgrip strength from baseline was not significantly better in withdrawers than in non-withdrawers. However, men did improve their handgrip strength values compared to baseline (P = 0.002). Compared to balance test results at baseline, withdrawers improved starting from the first week after withdrawal initiation. There was, however, only a borderline difference (P = 0.054) in balance improvement between the long-term withdrawers and long-term non-withdrawers. Of note, the non-withdrawers tended to improve their handgrip strength and balance compared to baseline values, in parallel with their reduced benzodiazepine use.

Conclusions

Withdrawal from long-term use of benzodiazepines can rapidly improve muscle strength and balance. Our results encourage discontinuing benzodiazepine hypnotics, particularly in older women who are at a high risk of falling and sustaining fractures.

Trial registration

EU Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT2008000679530. Registered 31 October 2008

Pathology consultation on prostate-specific antigen testing

OBJECTIVES

To provide clarity on the pros and cons of using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening tool for prostate cancer.

METHODS

Case scenarios and a literature review of recently published clinical trial data are presented to provide evidence of the controversy.

RESULTS

PSA is a sensitive biomarker for detecting diseases of the prostate, but it is limited in its ability to distinguish cancerous from noncancerous conditions or aggressive from indolent cancers and has resulted in a considerable amount of overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The analytical methodology for total PSA testing is both reliable and cost-effective, but patients should be encouraged to talk to their providers to understand the benefits and harms associated with this testing.