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News
A massive study of over 1.1 billion prescription fills found that benzodiazepine dispensing in the US dropped 26.7% between 2013 and 2024. Young adults aged 18–29 saw the steepest decline (-44.8%), while advanced practice providers — especially nurse practitioners — actually increased their prescribing. The findings suggest a meaningful shift toward more cautious prescribing, though important monitoring gaps remain.
A decade-long look at US prescribing habits reveals a significant pullback in benzodiazepine use. Analyzing over 1.1 billion prescription fills from 2013 to 2024, researchers found that the annual dispensing prevalence dropped from 7.5% to 5.5% — a 26.7% overall decline. Adults drove most of that shift, with young adults aged 18–29 seeing the steepest drop of nearly 45%.
The retreat was most pronounced among pain medicine specialists and primary care physicians, who reduced their benzodiazepine prescribing by 62.5% and 44.3%, respectively. But not all providers followed suit — advanced practice providers, led by nurse practitioners, more than doubled their dispensing over the same period. Meanwhile, antiseizure benzodiazepine use actually rose among children and adolescents.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These trends suggest prescribers are becoming more selective with benzodiazepines — drugs long associated with dependence and overdose risk. But the surge in nurse practitioner prescribing and gaps in race, ethnicity, and clinical indication data mean the full picture is still coming into focus.
