Patient experiences of benzodiazepine tapering: a qualitative study of treatment in addiction care.

IF 4.6 2区医学 Q2 PSYCHIATRY

BMC Psychiatry Pub Date : 2026-10-08 DOI:10.1186/s12888-026-08745-z

Sofia Burmester, Cecilia Krüger, Johan Franck, Jeanette Westman

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Tapering by gradual dose reduction is a key component of treatment for individuals with addiction to benzodiazepines. Although many patients recover, treatment dropouts and relapses are common. Few studies have explored how benzodiazepine tapering is experienced from the patient perspective.

Methods: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 19 adults with addiction to benzodiazepines who were undergoing tapering treatment at a publicly funded outpatient addiction clinic. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results: Participants described benzodiazepine tapering in addiction care as a process marked by substantial variations in experiences and perceived difficulty. Three themes captured central aspects of how tapering was experienced: (1) Navigating motivation and involvement, (2) Replacing benzodiazepines with new coping strategies, and (3) Balancing support throughout treatment.

Conclusions: This study provides an experiential perspective on benzodiazepine tapering in addiction care. The findings illustrate how motivation, coping strategies, and support are closely related to participants' experiences of discontinuation and treatment, highlighting the importance of tapering practices and interpersonal interactions for understanding engagement with treatment.

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苯二氮卓类药物逐渐减少的患者经历：成瘾护理治疗的定性研究。

背景：逐渐减少剂量是治疗苯二氮卓类药物成瘾个体的关键组成部分。虽然许多患者康复，但中途退出和复发是常见的。很少有研究从患者的角度探讨苯二氮卓类药物的逐渐减少是如何经历的。方法：本定性研究采用半结构化访谈法，对19名苯二氮卓类药物成瘾的成年人进行访谈，这些成年人在一家公共资助的成瘾门诊接受减量治疗。采用自反性主题分析对数据进行分析。结果：参与者将苯二氮卓类药物在成瘾护理中的逐渐减少描述为一个以经历和感知困难的实质性变化为特征的过程。三个主题抓住了减量过程的核心方面：(1)引导动机和参与，(2)用新的应对策略取代苯二氮卓类药物，(3)在整个治疗过程中平衡支持。结论：本研究为苯二氮卓类药物在成瘾治疗中的逐渐减少提供了经验视角。研究结果说明了动机、应对策略和支持如何与参与者的停药和治疗经历密切相关，强调了逐渐减少的做法和人际互动对理解参与治疗的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMC Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

4.50%

发文量

716

审稿时长

3-6 weeks

期刊介绍： BMC Psychiatry is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.