CHARACTERISTICS OF LONG-TERM ALPRAZOLAM USERS IN THE COMMUNITY

The widespread use of benzodiazepines remains a source of concern to the medical profession and the general public, especially as newer compounds come on the market. Our goal was to characterize long-term alprazolam users in the community and to determine whether such use represented abuse or behavioural dependence. We conducted three community surveys to learn about the natural history of long-term alprazolam use. Current long-term alprazolam users (those using the drug for 3 months or longer) were recruited on three separate occasions 1 year apart by identical newspaper advertisements in the metropolitan Toronto area. All respondents were mailed a questionnaire with a stamped, addressed return envelope. Our data from 312 respondents show that: (1) the majority of patients have a substantial history of prior medication use for symptom control (65%), (2) dose escalation is not a characteristic of long-term use, (3) patients change their initial pattern of regular use to one of symptom control only when required, (4) most physicians do not discuss discontinuation of the drug with their patients, (5) patients frequently try to stop their drug use (with a median of 2 attempts) and often report symptoms upon discontinuation, and (6) patients perceive a need for medication use and indicate that alprazolam is effective (75%). We conclude that some patients persistently use alprazolam but that this use does not represent abuse or behavioral dependence.