VA To Community Providers: Reduce Benzodiazepine Prescriptions to Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to reduce the number of benzodiazepines (BZDs) prescriptions from community providers to Veterans, especially seniors aged 65 and older. BZDs are a class of drugs used to treat certain conditions, such as anxiety, with medications like Xanax and Ativan. The risk of these medications for older adults includes falls, confusion, or contributing to lethal overdoses. This reduction is part of the Psychotropic Drug Safety Initiative, which began in 2013.

Learn more: https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/92177/va-reduce-bzd-prescriptions-from-community-providers/