Placing obsolete hypnotics on prescription and the admission rate for acute poisoning with these drugs.

Since January 1 1988, certain older hypnotics have no longer been available over the counter in Belgium, but can still be dispensed on prescription. The influence of this measure on admission to our Emergency Department for acute poisoning with these hypnotics has been examined. From 1983 to 1987, a mean of 93 patients (range 87 to 99) per year were admitted as compared to 15 and 5 in 1988 and 1989, respectively. For older hypnotics that were on prescription before and after 1st January 1988, there was no decrease in 1988, and a reduction was observed in 1989. There was no change in the number of patients with benzodiazepine poisoning. The data indicate that moving these older hypnotics onto the prescription-only list resulted in a decrease in acute poisoning with them. The reduction observed in 1989 for the older hypnotics that were on prescription before as well as after 1988 may have been due to an influence of the measure on the prescribing habits of physicians.