A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has found that veterans treated by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who were prescribed both opioids and benzodiazepines faced an increased risk of death. The study, which analyzed millions of VHA medical records from 2007 to 2019, also found some evidence linking co-prescription of these medications to an elevated risk of suicide.
Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, emeritus faculty member of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics (DBEI) at Perelman School of Medicine, chaired the Committee on Evaluating the Effects of Opioids and Benzodiazepines on All-Cause Mortality in Veterans that conducted the study. “Our report adds an important point of confirmation to the ongoing conversation on how past opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing practices affected veterans seeking treatment for pain, as well as conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression,” Strom said.
John T. Farrar, MD, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology, also served on the committee, contributing his expertise in pain management and pharmacoepidemiology.
The findings reinforce long-standing concerns about the combined use of opioids—commonly prescribed for pain—and benzodiazepines, which are used to treat anxiety and other conditions. The report highlights how changes in VHA guidelines over the study period aimed to mitigate risks associated with these medications.
This study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and contributes to ongoing efforts to improve veteran health care and prescribing practices.