BACKGROUND: evidence about possibilities to help older persons to withdraw the long-term use of benzodiazepines (BZD) is scarce. Effective and practicable methods are needed. OBJECTIVE: the study aimed to assess the persistence of one-time counselling by a geriatrician to reduce psychotropic drugs, especially BZD and related drugs (RD). DESIGN: a prospective randomised controlled trial with a 12-month follow-up was conducted. SUBJECTS: five hundred ninety-one community-dwelling people aged 65 or older participated in the study. METHODS: instructions to withdraw, reduce or change psychotropic drugs were given to the intervention group. A 1-h lecture about these drugs and their adverse effects was given later on. No changes in the drug therapy were suggested for the controls. RESULTS: the number of regular users of BZD and RD decreased by 35% (12/34) (odds ratios (OR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.44-0.86) in the intervention group while it increased by 4% (2/46) (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.81-1.36) in the controls (P = 0.012). No significant changes in the users of other types of psychotropics were found. CONCLUSION: one-time counselling of psychotropics and other fall-risk-increasing drugs by a geriatrician followed with a 1-h lecture about adverse effects of these drugs had positive effects in decreasing the number of regular users of BZD and RD, and these effects persisted for the total 12-month intervention period.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: evidence about possibilities to help older persons to withdraw the long-term use of benzodiazepines (BZD) is scarce. Effective and practicable methods are needed. OBJECTIVE: the study aimed to assess the persistence of one-time counselling by a geriatrician to reduce psychotropic drugs, especially BZD and related drugs (RD). DESIGN: a prospective randomised controlled trial with a 12-month follow-up was conducted. SUBJECTS: five hundred ninety-one community-dwelling people aged 65 or older participated in the study. METHODS: instructions to withdraw, reduce or change psychotropic drugs were given to the intervention group. A 1-h lecture about these drugs and their adverse effects was given later on. No changes in the drug therapy were suggested for the controls. RESULTS: the number of regular users of BZD and RD decreased by 35% (12/34) (odds ratios (OR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.44-0.86) in the intervention group while it increased by 4% (2/46) (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.81-1.36) in the controls (P = 0.012). No significant changes in the users of other types of psychotropics were found. CONCLUSION: one-time counselling of psychotropics and other fall-risk-increasing drugs by a geriatrician followed with a 1-h lecture about adverse effects of these drugs had positive effects in decreasing the number of regular users of BZD and RD, and these effects persisted for the total 12-month intervention period.
Authors: Allen R Huang; Louise Mallet; Christian M Rochefort; Tewodros Eguale; David L Buckeridge; Robyn Tamblyn Journal: Drugs Aging Date: 2012-05-01 Impact factor: 3.923
Authors: Rachel D Maree; Zachary A Marcum; Ester Saghafi; Debra K Weiner; Jordan F Karp Journal: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2016-06-07 Impact factor: 4.105
Authors: Lesley D Gillespie; M Clare Robertson; William J Gillespie; Catherine Sherrington; Simon Gates; Lindy M Clemson; Sarah E Lamb Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2012-09-12