Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors

The drugs clonazepam and diazepam are both benzodiazepines — and better known by the brand names Klonopin and Valium. The drug class also includes Ativan, Librium and Halcion.

U.S. prescriptions for Valium, Ativan and other benzodiazepines have shot up since 2003, statistics show, especially for chronic pain. Roughly half those prescriptions are from primary care providers.

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Rhitu Chatterjee