Risk Characterization in Patients Using Benzodiazepines While Providing Pharmaceutical Care Dispensing Service.

BACKGROUND

Tolerance and dependence stand out as the most relevant risks observed during benzodiazepine (BZD) treatments.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the degree of dependence of patients on BZD treatments using the Tyrer test; to define a profile of patients at risk of developing BZD dependence; and to discuss the role of the pharmaceutical care offered by the community pharmacy during dispensing.

METHODS

Prospective cross-sectional descriptive observational study (August 2020-February 2021) involving 127 patients using BZD. They voluntarily answered a questionnaire during the dispensing pharmaceutical care service. The study was evaluated and codified (code: DAA-CLO-2020-01) by the Spanish Agency for Drugs and Health Products (AEMPS), and statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 25.0.

RESULTS

19.05% of patients using BZD were suspected of suffering from BZD tolerance, and 77.88% of all patients were identified as being at a high risk of BZD dependence. The Tyrer test for dependence indicated a mean score of 5.59 out of 13 points. An 18-fold increased risk of developing dependence was detected in the case of coexistence of high anxiety or depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The community pharmacy, through protocolized care practices and supported by tools such as the Tyrer test, can play a decisive role in the detection, prevention, and resolution of the risks associated with BZD treatments.