Tidsskrift for den Norske lægeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny række
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Tidsskr. Nor. Laegeforen. · Jun 1996
[Reduced prescription of benzodiazepine preparations in general practice. Much to gain with little effort].
Many patients experience side effects from prolonged use of benzodiazepines and analgesics containing codeine. Therefore 66 daily users of these drugs (average dose before intervention 34 DDD/month) were encouraged to take part in a cessation experiment. ⋯ Over two years the prescriptions (measured in DDD) for this group were reduced by 57%, and 26% of the patients stopped taking these medicines. A strategy is proposed for cessation of use of benzodiazepines and codeine-containing analgesics in general practice.