Study, 2014: Emergency Department visits due to benzos or benzos in combination

[[La...]]

The title of this American study is "Benzodiazepines in Combination with Opioid Pain Relievers or Alcohol: Greater Risk of More Serious ED Visit Outcomes". For some reason, it has just appeared on PubMed, even though the date shows that it's about two years old. This topic has been front and centre in the news recently, so it's worthwhile to have a look at this particular abstract.

 

I'm stuck on the first line. It states, "Benzodiazepines are used to relieve symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, and seizures and are safe and effective when taken as prescribed and directed."

 

Safe? Really? Most BBs took their benzodiazepines "as prescribed", yet we're all suffering as a result. And "As Prescribed" just happens to be the name of an upcoming documentary that we're all anticipating. Perhaps "safe" isn't the right word.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27631051