Mixed Picture of Benzodiazepine-Related Toxicity in Ontario

published on June 22, 2023 by Kate Johnson in Medscape

The rate of benzodiazepine-related toxicity in Ontario, Canada, has decreased overall but has increased among young people, data indicate.

In a population-based, cross-sectional study that included almost 26,000 patients, the age-standardized rate of benzodiazepine-related toxicity per 100,000 population decreased from 27.8 to 26.4 between 2013 and 2020.

Clinicians should educate patients about the signs and symptoms of toxicity, “including extreme drowsiness, slurred speech, impaired balance and movement control, confusion, and loss of consciousness,” study author Tonya J. Campbell, MPH, research program manager at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, told Medscape Medical News .

The data were published June 15 in the Canadian Journal of Public Health…