Chronic, high-dose use of benzodiazepines among patients with schizophrenia appears to be associated with a markedly higher overall mortality rate than is seen in patients with schizophrenia who have not been exposed to benzodiazepines, according to a report in AJP in Advance.
The report also found a lower overall mortality rate among patients with schizophrenia who received antipsychotics and/or antidepressants.
“The results indicate that any amount of antipsychotic and antidepressant usage is associated with overall mortality rates 15% to 40% lower compared with no use of these medications,” the researchers wrote. “In contrast, benzodiazepine exposure revealed a clear dose-response curve for mortality, where high exposure was associated with a 70% higher risk of death compared with no use.”