The International Narcotics Control Board points to Spain as the country with the highest consumption of benzodiazepines, which are prescribed to sleep better due to their anxiolytic, hypnotic and muscle-relaxing effect.
Spain is the country in the world with the highest consumption of benzodiazepines, a medicine included in the group of hypnosedatives which is often prescribed to sleep better due to its anxiolytic, hypnotic and muscle relaxing effect, according to data from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
It is estimated that in 2020 almost 110 daily doses were consumed in Spain for every 1,000 inhabitants. Only Belgium (84 daily doses) and Portugal (80) come close to the figures for Spain, from which they are very far, for example, geographically close countries such as Germany (0.04 daily doses).
In addition, more recent data from the EDADEs 2022 survey have shown that 9.7 percent of the Spanish population had used hypnosedatives with or without a prescription in the last 30 dayswhile 7.2 percent of the population admits to consuming these drugs on a daily basis.
“We live in a competitive and stressful society in which we have to sustain routines that require staying at the limit of performance without anguish or giving up. In this context, many find it difficult to face daily problems and resort to chemistry to disconnect, alleviate anxiety or to sleep. After all, to escape from an overwhelming daily reality”, has detailed the psychiatrist of the Canalejas Mental Health Unit of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Mónica Florido, during the III Conference on Dual Pathology and Addictions in the Canary Islands, organized by the Spanish Society of Dual Pathology (SEPD), the Canary Islands Health Service and the Government of the Canary Islands.
This medicalization of life, he continues, has caused many circumstances that are not pathological, but vital or daily life situations that are erroneously labeled as anxiety disorders or insomnia, end up being treated with psychopharmaceuticals “instead of resorting to a non-pharmacological intervention such as health education or some psychological intervention, which is an erroneous practice with iatrogenic potential.
In this sense, the psychiatrist has recalled that the clinical guidelines “are clear on this point” and indicate benzodiazepines, in mental health, for the symptomatic and temporary treatment of anxiety disorders and insomnia as a sleep disorder that accompanies another psychiatric disorder such as depression.
“They shouldn’t be the first choice”
“It is important to note that benzodiazepines should not be the treatment of first choice in these cases, but an alternative treatment for specific cases. In any case, the approach to a clinical picture and the prescription of benzodiazepines must be preceded by a correct diagnosis and their use, in any of the situations, should be short-term”, the expert warned.
Having said this, you have recalled the adverse effects of these drugsincluding tolerance, long-term dependence and other effects due to prolonged use such as traffic, domestic or work accidents, as well as other behavioral and conduct disorders.
According to Florido, most of the hypnosedatives consumed in Spain are prescribed by doctors, which complicates their control, unlike what happens with other illegal substances. In that sense, hehe psychiatrist has stressed the importance of doctors carrying out their work in accordance with the responsibility it entails, both professional and ethical.
In relation to medical liability, Florido has spoken of the importance of informed consent. “We are probably not informing patients correctlyalthough the guidelines are clear to us, both due to scientific knowledge and legal mandates and ethical standards, we do not always adjust clinical practice”, he has settled.
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