Benzodiazepine use and abuse in Canada.

Benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed, yet the extent of their use in Canada has not been described. Such data would be valuable in assessing patient exposure to benzodiazepines and would provide a context to estimate the risk-benefit ratio of these drugs. Analysis of benzodiazepine sales in 1978-87 in Canada, expressed as the defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day, showed that the use of these drugs was stable during the first half of the decade, at 33 DDD/1000 inhabitants per day, then steadily increased from 1983 to 1987, reaching 48 DDD/1000 inhabitants per day in 1987. The total use of slowly eliminated benzodiazepines declined, whereas the overall use of rapidly eliminated benzodiazepines increased linearly. In 1978-83 Canada had the second-lowest total benzodiazepine use among several Western countries. The patterns of use and abuse of rapidly eliminated benzodiazepines in 1978-84 showed a close correlation. Our findings indicate that data on drug use can be monitored and linked to clinical data, providing a mechanism for monitoring the relation between use and related illness.