Benzodiazepines or z-drugs when taken with opioids increase death risk: Study

Benzodiazepines, including brand names such as Restoril, Ativan, and Halcion and the "z-drugs", a type of medication known more commonly under names like Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata, are among the most frequently prescribed medications for older adults.

Trazodone, a medication initially introduced for depression, is often prescribed in low doses for insomnia. Although researchers have speculated about the relative safety of these sleep medications, there is limited relative safety data.

Ray said the study findings could help to fill this data gap and thus lead to changes in both provider behavior and policy.

"Our findings add urgency to efforts to limit concurrent prescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids. They also suggest that targeted warnings are needed to advise older patients and their providers regarding the potential risks of taking z-drugs with opioids," Ray said.

Reference:

The study titled, "Mortality and concurrent use of opioids and hypnotics in older patients: A retrospective cohort study," is published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

DOI: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003709