A general population survey on patterns of benzodiazepine use and dependence in Lebanon

Objective: In Lebanon, benzodiazepines are often available without medical prescription. We aimed to carry out the first community-based pharmaco-epidemiological study on benzodiazepine consumption in the Middle East Area. Method: The prevalence of past-month benzodiazepine use was assessed in a 1000-subject randomized sample from the Lebanese community, and risk factors were studied in a group of 496 current users. Results: Benzodiazepine use during the past month was found in 9.6% of subjects. Four variables were significantly associated with use: age higher than 45 years, female sex, cigarette smoking and the existence of a recent life event. Benzodiazepine dependence was found in 50.2% of users. Conclusion: Benzodiazepine use in Lebanon is particularly high, and can be related to well-known factors such as female sex and age, but other potent specific variables, such as war stress or the lack of control on drug access, can be hypothesized.