Feasibility and effectiveness of deprescribing benzodiazepines and Z-drugs; systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aims2.4 million adults in England were dispensed a benzodiazepine or Z-drug (BZRA) in 2017/18, and more than 250,000 patients in the UK take BZRAs beyond the recommended duration. Deprescribing is a clinician-guided process of withdrawing inappropriate drugs. This review aims to evaluate the evidence-base supporting the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of all-forms of deprescribing initiatives used to discontinue long-term (≥4 weeks) BZRAs.MethodSystematic review of randomised controlled trials evaluating successful BZRAs deprescribing amongst adults in community, primary or outpatient settings. MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO were searched from inception to February 2021. Primary outcomes were successful discontinuation in the short-term (