Can a Prescription Register Show Why Someone Went on Disability?
An eight-year Norwegian registry study followed people who newly redeemed a prescription for a benzodiazepine, a Z-hypnotic, or both. It examined the time until a disability pension was recorded. The comparison illustrates the difference between an administrative outcome and a medical opinion about the cause of lost work capacity.
What the study observed
Disability pensions were recorded for 12.29% of benzodiazepine users, 8.65% of Z-hypnotic users, and 13.96% of combined users. In an adjusted comparison by first benzodiazepine redeemed, clonazepam initiators had a higher hazard than diazepam initiators, with a hazard ratio of 2.22 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.81 to 2.71.
Why the reason for prescribing matters
People receive these drugs for different symptoms and conditions. Those conditions can also affect work capacity, and a redeemed prescription establishes dispensing rather than a dose actually taken. The registry association can help frame questions about timing and underlying illness. To explain one person’s outcome, the clinical course, functional evidence, and reason for treatment need their own review.
Source
Tvete et al., Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 2017
