Description
March 19, 2024 | 12:00-1:00pm
Description:
Benzodiazepines are powerful psychoactive substances that have many important uses in clinical practice. They also, however have been over utilized in inappropriate situations leading to physiologic dependence and addiction. The process of discontinuation or tapering can be challenging and lead to complex clinical situations and patient interactions. The standard of care for deprescribing has been a taper but there is emerging interest in evidence that alternative mechanisms for deprescribing may have a place in clinical practice. There is also a subset of patients who develop chronic sequela from long-term benzodiazepine use even after prolonged periods of abstinence.
Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of complex persistent benzodiazepine dependence
- Gain exposure to underutilized alternatives to benzodiazepine tapers for discontinuations.
- Review the sequela of long-term benzodiazepine use.
- Review the historical perspective of benzodiazepine marketing and how it led to them being prescribed predominantly to women.
Presenters:
Christopher Blazes, MD
Audience:
Prescribing clinicians and their teams
Continuing Medical Education
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Maine Medical Education Trust and CCSME. The Maine Medical Education Trust is accredited by the Maine Medical Association Committee on Continuing Medical Education and Accreditation to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Maine Medical Education Trust designates this regularly scheduled series for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
*Nurses and Nurse Practitioners will be awarded a certificate of participation with a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Contact Hours
1 contact hour for social workers, licensed clinical professional counselors, and behavioral health professionals.
1 Category I contact hour for psychologists. CCSME is a pre-approved sponsor and provider of Professional Education Activities for Psychologists.
1 contact hour for Alcohol and Drug Counselors pending approval by the Maine Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors
1 contact hour CHES. CCSME is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
