Balestrieri M, Bortolomasi M, Galletta M, Bellantuono C
Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina Sperimentale Clinica, Università, Udine.
Recenti Prog Med. 1998 Jan;89(1):3-6.
The aims of our survey were to estimate the prevalence of hypnotic drug prescription in a representative sample of population in 5 cities of Northern Italy and to analyse the pattern of prescription of these drugs by general practitioners (GPs) and psychiatrists. The data were collected with the collaboration of pharmacists working in 145 pharmacies. All consecutive patients presenting a prescription for a hypnotic drug were interviewed by the pharmacists during a two-week period. The pharmacists interviewed 7744 consecutive patients. The highest prevalence of prescriptions for hypnotic drugs was found in the elderly and in women. The majority of prescriptions were for benzodiazepines (BDZ), with lorazepam and triazolam accounting for about 50% of the total prescriptions. Short-acting and ultra-short-acting BDZ were more frequently prescribed for sleep induction by GPs than by psychiatrists. Approximately 73% of subjects reported that they had been taking the prescribed drug for one year or more. The high proportion of long-term BDZ users may be a consequence of the short period surveyed, which produced data weighted toward long-term consumption. Our data, however, do not permit to establish whether long-term use is appropriate from a clinical point of view or is the consequence of a physical dependence. We must be aware that this practice needs to be studied more accurately, with the aim to assess the risk/benefit ratio of long-term BDZ use.
我们此次调查的目的是估算意大利北部5个城市具有代表性的人群样本中催眠药物的处方率，并分析全科医生（GPs）和精神科医生开具这些药物的处方模式。数据是在145家药店工作的药剂师的协作下收集的。在为期两周的时间里，药剂师对所有开具催眠药物处方的连续就诊患者进行了访谈。药剂师共访谈了7744名连续就诊患者。催眠药物处方率最高的是老年人和女性。大多数处方开具的是苯二氮䓬类药物（BDZ），其中劳拉西泮和三唑仑约占总处方量的50%。与精神科医生相比，全科医生更常开具短效和超短效BDZ用于诱导睡眠。约73%的受试者报告称他们服用所开药物已达一年或更长时间。长期使用BDZ的比例较高可能是由于调查周期较短，导致数据偏向长期用药。然而，我们的数据无法确定从临床角度来看长期使用是否恰当，或者这是否是身体依赖的结果。我们必须意识到，这种做法需要更准确地研究，以便评估长期使用BDZ的风险/效益比。
