“For years, geriatricians and researchers have sounded the alarm about the use of benzodiazepines among older adults… Now the opioid epidemic has generated fresh warnings, because pain relievers like Vicodin (hydrocodone with Tylenol) and OxyContin (oxycodone) are also frequently prescribed for older people. When patients take both, they’re at risk for overdosing… But fatal overdoses — which are a comparatively tiny number given the size of the older population — represent just one of many longtime concerns about these medications.” Click the “Source” link for the full article from the New York Times.
“Some people take benzos for years without increasing the dose, so describing them as “dependent” or “habituated” — let alone “addicted” — often causes angry reactions.
”Drug problems are deeply stigmatized,” Dr. Humphreys said. “People feel it’s insulting to say they might have a problem with a drug.””