Association between initial benzodiazepine prescribing patterns and time to benzodiazepine discontinuation: A population-based retrospective cohort study

The study examined the relationship between initial benzodiazepine prescription characteristics and duration of use in 1,820,808 adults in Ontario between 2013 and 2021. The median age of participants was 53 years, with 62.6% being women. The most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine was lorazepam (63.9%), followed by clonazepam (17.3%) and diazepam (5.8%). Results showed that longer initial prescriptions (more than 30 days) were associated with a lower likelihood of benzodiazepine discontinuation compared to prescriptions of 7 days or less. Similarly, prescribing two or more benzodiazepines and long-acting benzodiazepines were associated with a lower likelihood of discontinuation. The study concluded that shorter benzodiazepine courses, prescribing a single benzodiazepine, and using short-acting agents could reduce the risk of long-term use and associated health complications.