Incidence of Benzodiazepine Use and Misuse Among Adults in Selected Areas of Bangladesh

Background: Benzodiazepines (BDZ) are widely prescribed for anxiety and insomnia in Bangladesh, but their misuse has become a major public health concern. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the incidence and patterns of use and misuse of BDZ in Bangladesh, and to explore the factors contributing to their misuse. Methodology: A cross-sectional study, including 368 current BDZ users, was conducted in the department of Pharmacology, Monno Medical College, Manikganj, during January, 2021 to December, 2022. The participants were selected randomly. Structured questionnaires were used to include participants’ personal information, drug use characteristics, physiological and psychological effects of drugs usage. Verbal consent was taken from each of the respondents. Results: In this study, 268(72.83%) of the participants were male, where 157(42.66%) were from the age group 31-40 years and 139(37.77%) were single. Among the study population, 51(13.86%) were students, 79(21.47%) had monthly family income above 50,000 Bangladeshi taka. Many of the participants reported that they used BDZs to relieve stress/pressure (108, 29.35%), followed by 95(25.82%) to manage insomnia, 79(21.47%) for relieving anxiety, depression and to get pleasure and others The mostly used drug was clonazepam (112, 30.43%), followed by diazepam (108, 29.35%) and others. Most of the users were influenced by friends (115, 31.25%). The common side effects of using BDZs were confusion (47, 12.77%), fatigue (45, 12.22%), drowsiness (37, 10.05%), and others. The mostly experienced withdrawal effect was headache (86, 23.28%), followed by insomnia (59, 16.25%), confusion (50, 13.48%) and others. Conclusion: BZDs were widely used in selected areas of Bangladesh with high incidence of misuse. The most common reason of misuse was self-medication. Increasing awareness program should be taken for safe and effective use of the drug. Journal of Monno Medical College December, 2023; 9 (2):68-72