Characteristics of dispensations of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs) stratified by drug class, 2015
| Characteristic | All BZRAs, no. (%)* n = 2 463 585 | Benzodiazepines, no. (%)* n = 1 391 169 | Z-drugs, no. (%)* n = 1 072 416 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescriber type | |||
| Physician | 2 392 459 (97.1) | 1 363 278 (98.0) | 1 029 181 (96.0) |
| Pharmacist | 21 766 (0.9) | 327 (0.02) | 21 439 (2.0) |
| Dentist | 8051 (0.3) | 1829 (0.6) | 222 (0.02) |
| Nurse practitioner | 9694 (0.4) | 3598 (0.3) | 6096 (0.6) |
| Other | 70 (−) | 47 (−) | 23 (−) |
| Unknown | 31 545 (1.3) | 16 090 (1.2) | 15 455 (1.4) |
| Days supply† | |||
| Mean ± SD | 27 ± 28 | 23 ± 25 | 33 ± 30 |
| 1–7 | 819 694 (33.3) | 532 182 (38.3) | 287 512 (26.8) |
| 8–14 | 231 465 (9.4) | 158 762 (11.4) | 72 703 (6.8) |
| 15–30 | 1 010 202 (41.1) | 535 874 (38.5) | 474 328 (44.2) |
| 31–60 | 140 901 (5.7) | 64 215 (4.6) | 76 686 (7.2) |
| 61–90 | 139 714 (5.7) | 53 722 (3.9) | 85 992 (8.0) |
| ≥ 90 | 121 609 (4.9) | 46 414 (3.3) | 75 195 (7.0) |
| No. of defined daily doses†‡ | |||
| Mean ± SD | 1.0 ± 0.7 | 0.8 ± 0.8 | 1.2 ± 0.6 |
| 1 | 1 814 149 (73.6) | 1 016 813 (73.1) | 797 336 (74.4) |
| 2 | 617 767 (25.1) | 347 875 (25.0) | 269 892 (25.2) |
| ≥ 3 | 31 669 (1.3) | 26 481 (1.9) | 5188 (0.5) |
Note: SD = standard deviation.
↵* Except where indicated otherwise.
↵† Standardized differences between benzodiazepines and Z-drugs for mean days supply and mean no. of defined daily doses are 0.36 d and 0.57 defined daily doses, respectively.
↵‡ No. of defined daily doses was rounded to the nearest whole number.