Patients aren’t being properly told about the long-term risk of medications, with everyday Australians developing dependencies on the drugs.
Common anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium and Xanax are being prescribed for dangerous lengths of time, experts have warned, resulting in people developing addictions.
Janet Shaw, who runs the country’s only specialist benzodiazepine treatment centre in Melbourne said the risk of benzodiazepines is not explained to patients.“Clients generally have been taking legitimate medication that the doctor has prescribed for them for an inappropriately long period of time,” she said. “We have clients who have been taking benzodiazepines for 50 years.”
University of Sydney School of Pharmacy associate professor Danijela Gnjidic said benzodiazepines should be under similar scrutiny to opioids. Gnjidic, who developed the guidelines, believed Australia needed similar directions for benzodiazepines, which Canada has already implemented.“Long-term use is quite commonly observed, and it’s particularly problematic if they’re co-prescribed with other high-risk medicines [such as antipsychotics],” she said.
“Benzodiazepines are an important treatment for a range of conditions and can be used safely when prescribed in accordance with relevant clinical guidelines. When used appropriately, the benefits of using these medicines outweigh the potential risks.” She was prescribed additional and increased dosages of the drugs for four years as her anxiety worsened, taking Clonazepam and Alprazolam daily.
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