Anxiety and mood (대한불안의학회지)

Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorders (대한불안의학회)
권호 표지

The Reappraisal and Appropriate Use of Benzodiazepine

Benzodiazepine의 재평가 및 적절한 사용

  • Park Sung-Hyouk (Department of General Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital) ;
  • Kim Chan-Hyung (Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • 박성혁 (국립서울병원 일반정신과) ;
  • 김찬형 (연세대학교 의과대학 정신과학교실, 의학행동과학연구소)
  • Published : 2005.12.01
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Abstract

Benzodiazepine (BDZ) has the possibilities of development of tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and abuse/addiction, as well as chronically adverse effects. Although many guidelines have proposed the restricted prescription of them, their uses in many psychiatric areas as well as primary practice are still wide spread. So we tried to reappraise the clinical characteristics of BDZ and then to consider the appropriate use. Firstly, meta-analyses on long-term use of BDZ indicated the cognitive impairment, which could be improved after discontinuation of BDZ. Next, there have been some evidences that the long-term use of BDZ does not develop tolerance, contrary to our concern, and maintains good anxiolytic effects. Also, physiological dependence should be discriminated from abuse/addiction, assuming the reality that the risk of BDZ abuse/addiction is surely overestimated. These issues are discussed in detail.

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