Benzodiazepines

The Best Practices in Primary Care Bulletin offers best practices for benzodiazepine prescribing in primary care, including indications for prescribing, when to offer and optimize non-pharmacologic first-line treatments, potential risks associated with long-term prescribing, and when de-prescribing may be appropriate. The supplementary and summary materials are intended to support the use of this bulletin by offering concise, practical summaries and tools for use at point-of-care.

Note:

- These best practices are relevant for individuals prescribed benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs) who may or may not meet criteria for benzodiazepine use disorder
- Some of these best practices may be applicable to those who have been intentionally seeking out unregulated BZRAs over time and have developed dependence; however, the guidance in this document is grounded in evidence pertaining to prescribed BZRAs, which may limit direct applicability.
- For information on inadvertent BZRA use through the unregulated drug supply, please refer to the BCCSU’s Clinical Bulletin: Benzodiazepines and Opioids

Updated guidance from the BCCSU on the care of individuals who have developed, or are at risk of developing, benzodiazepine withdrawal due to the adulteration of the unregulated opioid supply with benzodiazepines is forthcoming

Benzodiazepines: Best Practices in Primary Care

Bulletin

Summary and Supplementary Materials

In This Section