FATAL POISONINGS ATTRIBUTED TO BENZODIAZEPINES IN BRITAIN DURING THE 1980S

The fatal toxicity indices of benzodiazepines during the 1980s were ca lculated from national prescribing data and mortality statistics. The overall rate was 5.9 deaths per million prescriptions for benzodiazepi nes taken alone or with alcohol only, anxiolytics being less toxic tha n hypnotics. Diazepam appeared more toxic than average among anxiolyti cs (P<0.05), and flurazepam and temazepam more toxic than average amon g hypnotics (both P<0.001). It was shown that the finding for diazepam was probably explained by concurrent use of alcohol, which implies th at other anxiolytics may be safer in cases where there is alcohol misu se; but the greater toxicity of flurazepam and temazepam remained unex plained. Benzodiazepines are indeed much less toxic than the barbitura tes they superseded, but they are not innocuous and temazepam in parti cular requires further evaluation.