Benzodiazepines, also called “sedatives” or “tranquilisers”, are a family of drugs widely consumed in France, such as anxiolytics and sleeping pills. Stopping this treatment could lead to an increased risk of an accident at work. Explanations.
- In France, more than one million work accidents were recorded in 2019. This figure fell in 2020 due to the health crisis. As proof: the number of recognized work accidents decreased by 17.7% compared to 2019.
- Benzodiazepines can cause nausea, headaches, daytime drowsiness, confusion, lack of concentration, memory loss, dizziness, and balance problems that can cause a fall.
- Unlike other medications, these side effects do not fade after a few weeks of taking treatment.
“Benzodiazepines are used to treat insomnia and anxiety. Although they are known to induce cognitive and psychomotor disorders, their effect on the risk of occupational accidents remains poorly studied”, indicated François-Olivier Baudot, pharmacist, statistician at the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) and doctoral student in health economics (ERUDITE, UPEC). Based on this observation, he decided to carry out Works with the help of Thomas Barnay, professor of economics at the University of Paris-Est Créteil (Val-de-Marne).
To carry out their study, relayed by the media The Conversation, the researchers analyzed the data of French people who were victims of at least one work accident between 2017 and 2019, i.e. approximately 2.5 million adults. The objective of their research was to estimate the effect of taking benzodiazepines on the risk of accidents by differentiating recommended use from excessive use, beyond the recommended duration (i.e. say uninterrupted use for 4 months).
A reduced risk in the month following the first intake of benzodiazepines
According to the results, there is a lower risk of accidents at work for people who have used benzodiazepines in the previous month, although this effect disappears for people who have over-consumed benzodiazepines. According to the authors, the improvement in the patient’s state of health may explain this reduction in risk.
Another possible reason: “Taking a drug, which is known to increase the risk of accidents, can lead to a reduction (at least temporarily) of the activities most at risk, and to an increase in alertness. Doctors can also less easily prescribing these drugs to the most exposed employees”, have developed the researchers in the publication of the media The Conversation.
Discontinuation of treatment is associated with an increased risk of occupational accidents
The study reveals that for adults under the age of 45, overuse of benzodiazepines is associated with an increased risk of occupational injury. “Furthermore, the whole population presents an increased risk in the month following the cessation of treatment, which could come from a rebound effect” and a resumption of exposure to occupational risk following a reduction, can we read in the works.
According to the authors, these results indicate that health professionals and users of benzodiazepines should be made aware of the risk of occupational accidents induced by taking benzodiazepines, not only at the start of treatment but also after prolonged use and after discontinuation of treatment.
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