Benzodiazepines and Overdoses in Opioid Users Taking Buprenorphine
What is it about?
We used pharmaceutical claims to analyze overdose events associated with benzodiazepines in patients with opioid use disorder. Even though buprenorphine treatment days were associated with a nearly 40% decrease in overdose risk, benzodiazepine treatment days correlated with a near-doubling of overdose risk. However, even for individuals taking both buprenorphine and benzodiazepines, buprenorphine appears to retain its protective benefit against overdose.
Why is it important?
Up to a third of people who suffer opioid overdoses are also using benzodiazepines. Many people who are addicted to opioids also have anxiety or depression for which they have been prescribed a benzodiazepine. How to handle this combination has confounded psychiatrists and addiction specialists. The goal in this study was to learn about the risks and benefits of taking buprenorphine while also taking benzodiazepines. Our data suggests that dose reduction of benzodiazepines while maintaining buprenorphine treatment may provide the advantage of lowering drug-related poisoning risk.