Report of the Health Council on the use of benzodiazepines. The Netherlands Health Council

The Netherlands Health Council has issued a report on the appropriate use of benzodiazepines, detailing current knowledge on mode of action, indications for use, adverse effects and the prescribed volume in the Netherlands. About 3% of the adult population are chronic users of benzodiazepines. Chronic use is complicated by the risk of falling; the relative risk of hip fractures in chronic benzodiazepine users in about 1.7. Chronic use should be discouraged. However, most chronic users are fragile elderly people for whom a good night's sleep implies temporary escape from a sorry existence with somatic or psychic symptoms. Such circumstances should be kept in mind when treating individual patients.

Published by Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde, 1999. The guideline itself is at the source linked here.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10321271/