Friday, July 16, 2021

Benzodiazepines, 'z-drugs' increase death risk when taken with opioids


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/vumc-bi071521.php

 

News Release 15-Jul-2021
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

 

A new study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers of more the 400,000 Medicare patients taking medications for insomnia found that the risk of death is increased when either benzodiazepines or "z-drugs" are taken with opioids.

The study, published July 15 in PLOS Medicine and led by Wayne Ray, PhD, professor of Health Policy at VUMC, compared patients taking these drugs with opioids to comparable patients taking trazodone, another commonly prescribed sleep medication for older patients. The researchers found that those using benzodiazepines had a 221% increase in the risk of death from any cause and those taking non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, or "z-drugs," had a 68% increased risk.


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