Benzodiazepines and Opioids Need to Be Prescribed with Caution in Advanced COPD

Commentary on: Ekström MP, Bornefalk-Hermansson A, Abernethy AP, et al. Safety of benzodiazepines and opioids in very severe respiratory disease: national prospective study. BMJ 2014;348:g445[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] Benzodiazepines are used with relatively high frequency and in potentially concerning ways among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1 The scope and pattern of opioid use in COPD is less well-known. While studies evaluating benzodiazepines and opioids for refractory dyspnoea in advanced COPD are available, none were specifically designed to examine for potential drug-related side effects, as they involved small numbers of participants, low-drug doses and relatively short follow-up durations.2 The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate all-cause hospitalisation and mortality in relation to use and non-use of benzodiazepines and opioids among individuals with COPD requiring supplemental oxygen. This was a Swedish population-based, prospective cohort study using health administrative and clinical data. Individuals with … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBMJ%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Fbmj.g445%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F24482539%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=bmj&resid=348/jan30_2/g445&atom=%2Febmed%2F19%2F5%2F170.atom