Our findings may have significant implications for clinical practice. First, our results show a clear, dose-dependent pattern of worsened overdose-related outcomes associated with benzodiazepine use, indicating that, among OUD patients for whom benzodiazepine cessation is risky, lower doses and shorter treatment duration for sedative/hypnotics may reduce risk. In addition, we found slightly lower-risk for long-acting benzodiazepines relative to short-acting, and substantially lower risk associated with Z-drugs as compared to either, which may be related to lower mean standardized dosages observed among Z-drugs. Overall, these results suggest that switching benzodiazepine users from short-acting medications to long-acting agents or Z drugs may hold promise in lowering overdose risk.
