Among the most successful drugs ever introduced, benzodiazepines still dominate the tranquillizer market. However, they are perceived to have major problems: they produce dose-related subjective sedation and psychomotor, cognitive and memory impairment; paradoxical release of anxiety, anger or hostility is not uncommon; rebound and withdrawal syndromes may attend discontinuation even after therapeutic dosage; and abuse, either alone or in a polydrug context, is becoming increasingly common. The last two adverse effects have occasioned the greatest concern over the past decade. The concern is not confined to the specialist pharmacologist or psychiatrist or even to the medical profession at large. The general public are accutely aware of the problems, which is not surprizing in view of the fact that one in five women and one in ten men have used these tranquillizers at some time. The media have been extensively involved and, more recently, the legal profession have mounted what may well be the largest personal injury case in legal history, with thousands of claims launched by users of tranquillizers.
This book builds up a balanced picture of the various components of the debate about whether the tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, are the safest and most effective drugs for treating anxiety, a serious and debilitating condition, or should thay be banned on the grounds that they cause addiction, personality change and suppress the free expression of individuals.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Für Beruf und Forschung
Illustrationen
line drawings, tables, bibliography
ISBN-13
978-0-19-262094-1 (9780192620941)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
1: Moira Hamlin: Why people take benzodiazepines. 2: Carl Salzman and Eric Watsky: Rational prescribing of benzodiazepines. 3: Alyson Bond: The risks of taking benzodiazepines. 4: Malcolm Lader: Historical development of the concept of tranquillizer development. 5: Ann Higgitt and Peter Fonagy: Benzodiazepine dependence syndromes and syndromes of withdrawal. 6: Paul Glue, Susan J. Wilson, and David Nutt: The role of the benzodiazepine receptor in anxiety. 7: Sandra E. File: The biology of benzodiazepine dependence. 8: Stefan Borg, Sten Carlsson, and Pierre Lafolie: Benzodiazepine/alcohol dependence and abuse. 9: John Strang, Nick Seivewright, and Michael Farrell: Oral and intravenous abuse of benzodiazepines. 10: John Pecknold: The assessment of anxiety and benzodiazepine dependence. 11: Hans-Ulrich Wiottchen and Cecilia Ahmoi Essau: The epidemiology of neurosis and benzodiazepine use and abuse. 12: H. Petursson: An international perspective on benzodiazepine research. 13: Anthony Clift: Dependence on hypnotics. 14: Peter Tyrer: Pharmacological differences in the dependence potential of benzodiazepines. 15: R.J. Ancill and W.W. Carlyle: Benzodiazepine use and dependency in the elderly: striking a balance. 16: Richard J. Simpson: Benzodiazepines in general practice. 17: Edward Schweizer and Karl Rickels: Pharmacological alternatives to benzodiazepine therapy of anxiety disorders. 18: Ann Hackmann: Psychological alternatives to taking benzodiazepines. 19: Susan Golombok and Anna Higgitt: Psychological treatments for benzodiazepine dependence. 20: Peter P. Roy-Byrne and James C. Ballenger: Pharmacological treatments for benzodiazepine dependence. 21: Mark Tattersall: Self-help groups and benzodiazepine dependence. 22: Frank Wells: Benzodiazepines and the pharmaceutical industry. 23: Jonathan Gabe: Women and tranquillizer use: a case study in the social politics of health and health care
