Benzodiazepine Use Has Plateaued in Older Adults

TUESDAY, July 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Benzodiazepine use among older U.S. adults decreased before the COVID-19 pandemic but plateaued thereafter, according to a research letter published online July 7 in Annals of Internal Medicine.Mark Olfson, M.D., from Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues examined national trends (2015 to 2024) in benzodiazepine prescribing among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older using data from the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Claims (January 2015 to December 2024).The researchers found that during the study period, a total of approximately 24.9 million adults aged 65 years and older filled one or more benzodiazepine prescriptions, and of these patients, approximately two-thirds were female (range, 66.2 to 67.3 percent). Benzodiazepine use decreased from 14.1 to 11.5 per 100 persons from 2015 to 2019 (β = −0.53) but plateaued from 2020 to 2024 (β = 0.00). From 2015 to 2024, benzodiazepine use decreased for both males and females (17.3 and 17.5 percent, respectively), with larger relative decreases in adults aged 65 to 69 years (25.3 percent) and those aged 70 to 74 years (23.0 percent) compared with those aged 75 years and older (9.4 percent). Advanced practice clinicians accounted for a growing percentage of prescribers (an increase from 14.3 to 30.1 percent), while prescribing by primary care physicians decreased (from 68.3 to 56.6 percent). Approximately one-third of older adults filling benzodiazepine prescriptions had long-term use (range, 30.8 to 34.8 percent). Long-term care pharmacy dispensing increased from 0.46 to 0.85 per 100 persons, with a decrease before 2020 and increasing thereafter."The findings suggest the importance of continuing medication safety efforts for older adults, particularly those aged 75 and older and those receiving long-term care," Olfson said in a statement. "Regular medication reviews and greater access to effective non-pharmacologic treatments may help reduce unnecessary benzodiazepine use while ensuring that patients continue to receive appropriate care."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Benzodiazepine Use Has Plateaued in Older Adults

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