Page 806 - Week 03 - Thursday, 25 March 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The committee also identifies a problem with the prescription routines of some hospitals interstate which have led to benzodiazepine dependence. It appears that too often the patient has been prescribed drugs routinely without reference to their understanding of the drug, its side effects and how to use it effectively and safely, and, most importantly, how to get off that particular drug when it is no longer needed to treat a medical condition. I am pleased that there appears to have been some headway made interstate to reduce this routine prescription of benzodiazepines, but I feel that the recommendation that ACT hospitals look at their protocols and assess the impact of these on prescription rates and the development of the dependence syndrome is another worthwhile step in addressing the problem of dependence. Of course, once the survey has been conducted that information can inform the development of more rigorous protocols for prescription of these drugs, and, although not stated in the report, I am sure that if a problem is identified the hospital system will move swiftly to resolve it.
The report also points out that more women than men are prescribed these substances. I was shocked at the National Health and Medical Research Council's reasons for this - that women consult their doctor more frequently than men; that women comprise a greater proportion of the elderly population which has a higher level of benzodiazepine consumption compared with younger populations; and that there is a high prevalence of anxiety disorders and affective disorders amongst women compared with men. Madam Speaker, I was dismayed at these comments. Ten years and several challenges later we have not advanced the debate about women's health needs, and it appears that, if the National Health and Medical Research Council accepts these reasons as truths, women will have to wait for some time yet to get adequate treatment and support from the mainstream medical system. I am pleased that the committee drew attention to the issue and has even interpreted data differently to the Department of Health. I agree wholeheartedly that it is doctors who have a tendency to prescribe tranquillisers for women more often than they do for men. It is not a case of women having more of a tendency to use the substance. They cannot use it if it is not prescribed.
I am therefore very pleased to see the emphasis in recommendation No. 5 on addressing the gender bias in prescribing benzodiazepines. I feel that this important step will also have some influence on the prescription of other drugs; but the emphasis must be on medical practitioners, dispensers and other health professionals taking responsibility to fully inform women of the problems with the use of the drug they are being prescribed. I am particularly keen to see that alternative treatment strategies are addressed and that the trend of substituting one overused drug for another does not continue.
Of course, many benzodiazepine users have already come to the conclusion that the use of this drug is not in their long-term interests and are seeking to break their habits or, at the very least, controlling the amount that is used. There are as many approaches to controlling dependency as there are people who have overuse syndrome or a physiological dependence. The needs of women and men who use benzodiazepines should be met by programs, and, although there are a variety of these available, the committee feels that there is a need for an
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .