Duration of benzodiazepine treatment and patient knowledge base

Despite prescription guidelines that stress short-term or intermittent benzodiazepine treatment, a number of psychiatric patients use benzodiazepines for years longer than is advisable. In the American health care system, primary care physicians (PCPs) write the majority of benzodiazepine prescriptions, often after a 15-minute office visit, which allows for very little discussion of the new medication with the patient. In many cases, prescribers do not review basic drug information with their patients, such as potential side effects and appropriate duration of use. Given the low quality of the typical patient-doctor interaction, many patients may seek information from other sources. Unfortunately, they may be likely to receive misleading information from direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertisements, which often masquerade as informational blurbs on manufacturers' websites.;The present study investigated the relationship between several of these factors and the patterns of benzodiazepine use in an internet-based sample of benzodiazepine users. Specifically, participants' general knowledge about benzodiazepines, the quality of the communication with their prescribers, and their exposure to DTC advertisements were examined in the context of their daily benzodiazepine dose and duration of benzodiazepine treatment. An invitation to take an online survey was posted on 12 forums dedicated to the experiences of patients with anxiety disorders. A total of 63 benzodiazepine users completed the survey and met inclusion criteria for study participation.;Results from the web survey did not yield any statistically significant findings. Given the lack of findings, the study's limitations are explored along with other potential explanatory factors and possible directions for future benzodiazepine research.