“It could potentially be dangerous... but nothing else has seemed to help me.”: Patient and clinician perspectives on benzodiazepine use in opioid agonist treatment

Benzodiazepine use among patients receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT) presents a conundrum: benzodiazepines increase overdose risk, yet can treat anxiety and insomnia. How best to balance the risks and benefits of benzodiazepines among OAT patients is unclear. Using qualitative methods, we examined patient motivations for benzodiazepine use and understanding of risks, and the context in which benzodiazepine use and prescribing occurs.
Source: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: research