Outpatient Benzodiazepine Treatment Down in U.S. Adults From 2018 to 2022

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Benzodiazepine treatment declined among U.S. adults between 2018 and 2022, according to a study published online Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Mark Olfson, M.D., from Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues examined recent trends in benzodiazepine prescribing to U.S. adults, as well as characteristics of those who receive benzodiazepines and other central nervous system (CNS) depressants. The analysis included 104,231 individuals identified from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (2018 to 2022).

The researchers found that between 2018 and 2022, annual benzodiazepine use by U.S. adults decreased from 4.7 percent to 3.4 percent. A greater decrease was seen for adults aged 56 years and older (7.2 percent to 4.7 percent) compared with those aged 36 to 55 years (4.4 percent to 3.4 percent) or 18 to 35 years (2.1 percent to 1.8 percent). Roughly 41.6 percent of adults treated with benzodiazepines also received other CNS-depressant medications in the same year, with a higher percentage among adults aged 36 to 55 years (44.6 percent) or 56 years and older (42.9 percent) versus 18 to 35 years (30.0 percent). Receipt of other CNS-depressant medications was seen more often in benzodiazepine-treated adults with fair or poor general health (72.0 percent) or with serious psychological distress (62.9 percent).

“Although benzodiazepine use is declining in U.S. outpatient care, the high rate of co-prescribing with other CNS depressants underscores the need for careful monitoring,” Olfson said in a statement. “Before initiating a benzodiazepine, clinicians should review a patient’s full medication list to assess potential drug-to-drug interactions — particularly for patients in poor health or experiencing serious psychological distress.”

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