Benzodiazepine Reform

The Problems of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs Medical decision-making about the use of any medication requires balancing the potential efficacy with potential harm and to do… Read More »Overview of the Problems

Off-Label Use Efficacy While some of the off-label uses of benzodiazepines appear to be effective, many common uses are ineffective. Several off-label uses for which… Read More »Off-Label Use Efficacy

Other Anxiety and Panic Disorder Studies Compared to alprazolam, buspirone was as effective but safer in a 4 week trial[2].  Cognitive Behavior Therapy was found… Read More »Anxiety and Panic Studies

Longer Term Use vs CBT A Well-Designed “Longer-Term” Alprazolam Study Although much of the research on benzodiazepines and Z-drugs has not been performed long-term to… Read More »Longer Term Use vs CBT

Alternative Muscle Relaxants Several natural remedies are available to relieve muscle spasms, including using chamomile tea, cranberry juice, vitamin D, and magnesium. While rigorous study… Read More »Alternative Muscle Relaxants

Alternatives for Insomnia Relief INSOMNIA RELIEF Sleep can often be vastly improved by “natural methods”, which generally require active patient participation. Several pharmacological alternatives are… Read More »Alternatives for Insomnia Relief

Pharmacologic Alternatives to BZRAs The third group of treatments consists of non-benzodiazepine pharmacological agents (note: Not z-drugs, since they have mechanisms of action at the GABA receptor similar to… Read More »Pharmacologic Alternatives to BZRAs

Professional Alternatives to BZRAs The second group of treatments for anxiety is administered under professional direction.  These include: Note that CBT and ACT in particular… Read More »Professional Alternatives to BZRAs

Anxiolysis Alternatives There are a number of effective, safe non-benzodiazepine approaches used to reduce anxiety, i.e., anxiolysis.  Situational anxiety, such as that seen with grief… Read More »Anxiolysis Alternatives

Limited Essential Use BENZODIAZEPINE “ESSENTIAL” USE IS VERY LIMITED The World Health Organization maintains a list of what is considered to be “essential medicines” and includes benzodiazepines… Read More »Limited Essential Use