MEDICAL-SERVICES USE BY PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER DETOXIFICATION FROMBENZODIAZEPINE DEPENDENCE

Objective: The authors examined use of medical and mental health servi ces before and after detoxification among a group of patients detoxifi ed from benzodiazepines to see if the data suggested a reduction in se rvice use and costs after detoxification, the so-called offset effect observed for treatment of alcohol and mental disorders. Methods: Throu gh a medical record review information was collected about medical ser vice use for patients aged 40 and older who were detoxified from benzo diazepines at Scott and White Clinic and Hospital between 1987 and 199 1. Results: Among the 76 patients, medical and mental health outpatien t visits fell from an average rate of 25.4 visits per year before deto xification to 4.4 per year after detoxification. Fm the 44 patients wi th at least one inpatient stay besides the admission for detoxificatio n, the mean number of inpatient days remained constant at three days p er year before and after detoxification. Conclusions: Although a retro spective record review suffers from a range of limitations, the findin gs suggest that detoxification from benzodiazepines may be effective i n reducing use of outpatient medical and mental health services and pr esumably in reducing costs of care.