Meprobamate Use in the Elderly

Meprobamate use was studied in an ambulatory elderly population in Dunedin, Florida. All participants taking this medication were mailed a questionnaire concerning their pattern of use. From 2,278 subjects, 30 (1.3%) reported the use of this drug. The average age of participants using this drug was 81.3 years. Five participants began using the drug over 27 years ago and over one-half of the respondents reported using the drug on a regular basis for over 10 years. With this type of history of meprobamate use, one might expect to encounter a large number of patients in the future who, in a similar manner, have been using benzodiazepines for many decades.