Change in healthcare utilization and costs following initiation of benzodiazepine therapy for long-term treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and benzodiazepine anxiolytics are used in the US to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). While benzodiazepines typically provide rapid symptomatic relief, long-term use is not recommended due to risks of dependency, sedation, falls, and accidents. METHODS: Using a US health insurance database, we identified all persons with GAD (ICD-9-CM diagnosis code 300.02) who began a long-term course of treatment (≥90 days) with a benzodiazepine anxiolytic between 1/1/2003 and 12/31/2007, We compared healthcare utilization and costs over the six-month periods preceding and following the date of treatment initiation (“pretreatment” and “post-treatment”, respectively), and focused attention on accident-related encounters (e.g., for treatment of fractures) and care received for other reasons possibly related benzodiazepine use (e.g., sedation, dizziness). RESULTS: A total of 866 patients met all study entry criteria; 25% of patients began treatment on an add-on basis (i.e., adjunctive to escitalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, or venlafaxine), while 75% of patients did not receive concomitant therapy. Mean total healthcare costs increased by $2334 between the pretreatment and post-treatment periods (from $4637 [SD=$9840] to $6971 [$17,002]; p<0.01); costs of accident-related encounters and other care that was possibly related to use of benzodiazepines increased by an average of $1099 ($1757 [$7656] vs $2856 [$14,836]; p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare costs increase in patients with GAD beginning long-term (≥90 days) treatment with a benzodiazepine anxiolytic; a substantial proportion of this increase is attributable to care associated with accidents and other known sequelae of long-term benzodiazepine use.