Clonazepam tablets prescription in Santa Clara Municipality

Introduction: benzodiazepines are drugs used for anxiety and sleep disorders, as well as muscle relaxants and anticonvulsive. Despite being discouraged in prolonged treatments, some patients have chronic use, which is associated with the development of physical dependence, manifested in moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms when treatments is discontinued. Objective: to characterize the consumption profile of clonazepam 1mg tablets in patients with outpatient prescription in Santa Clara Municipality. Methods: a Medication Utilization Study was conducted aimed at assessing the prescription of the medication clonazepam 1mg tablets in the Santa Clara Municipality during the period from June 2021 to June 2023. Results: an increase of 198% was evidenced with respect to the initial number of reported outpatients and a predominance of patients over 60 years of age. Conclusions: the results showed the need to be more careful in the use of clonazepam due to the risk it presents in elderly patients together with the appearance of undesirable adverse effects.