likelihood that the patient would require a trip to the emergency room.
While previous studies have been conducted with patients treated through the Veterans Health Administration, usage trends among privately insured Americans have not been fully examined. Gathering data on privately insured Americans is an essential element of understanding this crisis consider the rates of addiction and other mental health disorders among veterans are higher than they are among the general population. In order to determine how to provide most Americans with adequate addiction recovery programs, more information about the general public’s propensity to mix opioids with benzodiazepines must be gathered.
The study concluded that healthcare professionals must exercise caution in prescribing benzodiazepines to patients who are taking opioids, even when the opioid use is intermittent. Furthermore, the report advocates for additional educational programs by healthcare providers in order to better educate people on the potentially deadly hazards of combining these two volatile substances.
Author: Topher Avery
Topher Avery is a contributor and editor at Addiction Now. A natural wordslinger, Topher studied English at the University of Colorado at Boulder and received his JD from Chapman University. Currently, Topher resides in Southern California beneath a pile of cats and books. Contact Topher at christophera@drugaddictionnow.com
