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Cited by 28Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient OutcomesSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMental Health Treatment and Access

Changes in prevalence of psychotropic drug use and alcohol consumption among the elderly in Germany: results of two National Health Interview and examination surveys 1997–99 and 2008–11

Open access
Wolf, Ingrid-Katharina, Du, Yong, Knopf, Hildtraud·2017·BMC Psychiatry
DOI 10.1186/s12888-017-1254-xPMC PMC5345233
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Psychotropic drug use and alcohol consumption among older adults need to be monitored over time as their use or combined use bears risks of harms. Representative data on changes in prevalence, patterns and co-relates of substance use are lacking in Germany. METHODS: Participants were older adults (60-79 years) from two German National Health Surveys: 1997-99 (GNHIES98, N = 1,606) and 2008-11 (DEGS1, N = 2,501). Included were drugs acting on the nervous system used during the last 7 days. Alcohol consumption was measured by frequency (daily drinking) and quantity (risky drinking: ≥20/10 g/day alcohol for men/women). Changes in prevalence adjusted for potential socio-economic and health-related confounders were calculated by logistic regression models approximated by the SAS LSMEANS statement. RESULTS: The prevalence of overall psychotropic drug use (20.5% vs. 21.4%) remained constant between the two surveys. Significant changes were observed in the use of some psychotropics (all GNHIES98 vs. DEGS1): Synthetic antidepressants (3.9% vs. 6.9%), St. John's wort (2.9% vs. 1.1%), benzodiazepines (3.7% vs. 2.5%), benzodiazepine related drugs (0.2% vs. 0.8%), narcotic analgesics (3.0% vs. 4.1%), anti-dementia drugs (2.2% vs. 4.2%) and anti-epileptics (1.0% vs. 2.3%). Significant changes were also observed in long-term use of synthetic anti-depressants (3.2% vs. 5.9%), St. John's wort (2.0% vs. 0.6%) and opioid analgesics (1.0% vs. 2.2%). Further, we found significant changes in benzodiazepines use (3.3% vs. 1.4%) among men, opioids use (2.9% vs. 7.3%) among people with a lower social status, and overall psychotropics (26.8% vs. 32.5%) as well as opioids use (4.4% vs. 8.1%) among those with a worse health status. Moderate alcohol consumption increased significantly (58.0% vs. 66.9%). Risky drinking remained unchanged (16.6% vs. 17.0%). In spite of significant increases in daily alcohol drinking (13.2% vs. 18.4%) psychotropic drug use combined with daily drinking remained unchanged (1.8% vs. 2.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Although prevalence of overall psychotropic drug use remained stable, changes in the use of some psychotropic drug groups and alcohol consumption patterns have been observed. Further studies are required to investigate resulting health consequences and public health relevance of those outcomes.

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  • While some studies have shown a decrease in the prescribing of some drug classes, such as benzodiazepines over time, these decreases have been small and inconsistent across different countries.

    “While some studies have shown a decrease in the prescribing of some drug classes, such as benzodiazepines over time [83, 84], these decreases have been small and inconsistent across different countries [85, 86].”

    From Stakeholders' views on the use of psychotropic medication in older people: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as [84]

    The Results report a significant decline in benzodiazepine use among older adults in Germany (adjusted change: −3.4 percentage points). The Discussion describes declines in other studies but also cites a Dutch study in which use remained stable, supporting variation across countries. The paper measures drug use, not prescribing, so it does not directly establish a decline in prescriptions. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [14]Thefeld W Stolzenberg H Bellach BM Bundes-Gesundheitssurvey: Response, Zusammensetzung der Teilnehmer und Non-Response-Analyse. [National health Survey: Response, composition of participants and non-response-analysis] Gesundheitsw 1999 61 57 62 10726397

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Authors
Wolf, I.-K., Du, Y., & Knopf, H.
Affiliations
Robert Koch Institute (DE)
Corresponding author
Wolf, Ingrid-Katharina
ORCID
Venue
BMC Psychiatry
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-03-09
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
90-90
ISSN
1471-244X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12888-017-1254-x
PMC
PMC5345233
OpenAlex
W2592256627
Cited by
28
References
68
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
FWCI
2.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Publication server of the Robert Koch Institute (Robert Kock Institute) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Publication server of the Robert Koch Institute (Robert Kock Institute) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (ZMVI5-2514DSM217)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
psychotropic drug use, alcohol consumption, older adults, prevalence trends, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, Hypericum perforatum, opioid analgesics, anti-dementia drugs, antiepileptic drugs, hazardous drinking, drug use patterns, Germany, gender differences, DEGS1
MeSH terms
Aged, Alcohol Drinking, Female, Germany, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Population Surveillance, Psychotropic Drugs, Social Environment, Prevalence, Substance-Related Disorders

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