ABSTRACT
Benzodiazepines [BDZs] can have both beneficial and adverse effects and are the largest-selling drug group in the world. The potential of dependence with BDZ has been known for almost three decades now. The risk of misuse of and dependence on these drugs seems higher in countries where laws against unlicensed sale of BDZ are not implemented strongly. Since there is little know about the pattern of using BDZ in Iran therefore we designed this study to investigate to find out more about the prevalence of BDZ use in psychiatric patients in Mashhad, Iran. Twenty pharmacies were chosen for this study carried out a cross-sectional survey over 3 months in outpatient of pharmacy in Mashad, Iran. Besides basic socio-demographic data the participants were asked if they were taking a BDZ at present and if yes, the frequency, route and dosage of the drug, who had initiated the drug and why it had been prescribed. Out of a total of 400 participants 17.5% of the participants had been currently using at least one BDZ for 4 weeks or longer. Only 45% of cases the BDZ had been initiated by a doctor. Gender, Educational status, employment status and smoking were associated with an increased likelihood of using BDZ. The study shows most of the users were taking it for duration and with a frequency which puts them at risk of becoming dependent on BDZ. In most of the cases it had not been initiated by a doctor. Both patients and doctors need to be made aware of the risk of dependency associated with the use of BDZ