From 1996 to 2015, the number of benzo prescriptions rose by 67 percent, reaching 13.5 million by 2013. Doctors continue to prescribe drugs like Xanax and Ativan at alarming rates, but many are unaware of their debilitating, and sometimes deadly side effects.ĭata released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that there were 8,791 overdose deaths due to benzos in 2015, which is up significantly from 1,135 in 1999. Reporters have mentioned that the next big crisis could be a benzo crisis, and it looms as our attention stays focused on treating opioids. While reports of the opioid crisis have saturated the media, benzo drugs have quietly slid under the radar and have caused havoc in communities. Young adults 18 to 25 showed the highest levels of abuse at 5.6 percent. Seventeen percent of overall use stems from prescription drug misuse, which includes using the drug without a prescription or more often than prescribed. adults (12.6 percent) used benzodiazepines in the past year, which is up from previous reports. A recent study released by Science Daily highlights that more than one in eight U.S.

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