Background: In Italy a number of studies have been published on psychotropic drug use in general practice and community settings. However, the present study is the first Italian study to focus on hypnotic drug prescriptions in a large community sample.
Method: Data were collected from 145 of the total of 404 pharmacies of five large cities in north-eastern Italy. All consecutive patients presenting a prescription for a hypnotic drug were interviewed by the pharmacists during a two-week period.
Results: The pharmacists interviewed 7/44 consecutive patients. The highest prevalence of prescriptions for hypnotic drugs was found in the elderly and in women. The majority (96%) of prescriptions were for benzodiazepines, with lorazepam and triazolam accounting for 50%. Short-acting and ultra-short-acting benzodiazepines were more frequently prescribed for sleep induction by general practitioners (GPs) than by psychiatrists and other physicians. Frequently the benzodiazepine used as a hypnotic was also prescribed for day time sedation. Approximately 72% of subjects reported they had been taking the prescribed drug for one year or more.
Conclusions: In Italy benzodiazepines are the most frequently prescribed drugs for sleep induction; as they are widely prescribed for elderly people by GPs often for long periods of time, educational programmes and guidelines on the rational use of benzodiazepines in general practice are needed.