The prevalence of diagnosed disorders related to the use of sedative, hypnotic, and antianxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has seen a significant rise since 2001, according to researchers from Rutgers Health. Their study, published in the journal Addiction, focused on diagnoses made between 2001 and 2019.
These medications are commonly prescribed for sleep and anxiety disorders. However, regular use can lead to increased tolerance, requiring higher doses for effectiveness. In some cases, this pattern can result in sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorders. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, these disorders affect approximately 2.2 million Americans.
“While sedative, hypnotic and anxiolytic use disorders are less common than other substance use disorders,” said Greta Bushnell, an assistant professor at the Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science (PETS), “it warrants attention from clinicians and researchers given treatment difficulties and the association with other substance use issues.”
Using national Medicaid data from nearly 7 million adolescents and young adults in 2001 compared to 13 million in 2019, researchers observed a threefold increase in diagnoses among adolescents and a fivefold increase among young adults over this period.
“The increase in diagnoses of these disorders may be due to changes in the availability, use and misuse of sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics,” explained Bushnell. She also highlighted an increase in detection awareness as contributing factors.
Medications are accessed through prescriptions or nonmedical sources such as friends or medicine cabinets. The study found that most diagnosed individuals did not have prescriptions for these drugs. “Efforts to target nonmedical use of these drugs is important as a means to reduce this disorder,” noted Bushnell.
Additionally, many adolescents with these disorders also had cannabis use disorder while opioid use disorder was prevalent among young adults with similar conditions.
Examining trends can enhance understanding of affected populations and improve care support resources according to researchers involved in the study.
Coauthors include Kristen Lloyd and Tobias Gerhard from PETS; Katherine Keyes; Mark Olfson; Deborah Hasin from Columbia University; Magdalena Cerdá from New York University.
