Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs are commonly prescribed for insomnia and anxiety
syndromes and there is increasing concern regarding their misuse. Using an
internet-based questionnaire we found that of 1500 respondents 7.7%
(n = 116) had misused one or more of these medications.
Almost 15% of those misusing at least one of these drugs did so once weekly
or more often. The main reasons reported for their use were to help sleep
(66.4%), to cope with stress (37.1%) and/or to get high (31.0%). A total of
31% obtained the medications from multiple sources; healthcare professionals
(55.2%) and friends/family (39.7%) most commonly. Our study can be used to
inform prevention measures for their misuse.