Benzodiazepine and opioid prescribing and healthcare use in Scotland

Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs that include sleeping and anti-anxiety tablets such as Diazepam and Temazepam. In recent years, research has discovered that these drugs have a lot of side effects and can be addictive. In Scotland, between 2003 and 2012, the total number of benzodiazepine prescriptions reduced but this varied depending on the patient’s background and where they lived. This study hopes to use data collected from GP prescribing of benzodiazepines to explore why these differences happen and to look further into serious outcomes of these prescriptions such as patients needing to attend at A&E, being admitted into hospital and dying. In addition, this study will look at the link between prescriptions of benzodiazepines and opioids (a class of painkillers that includes codeine and morphine) as well as how this is relates to a patient’s individual illnesses and general health.