A significant rise in sedative use disorders among adolescents and young adults points to an urgent need for improved prescribing practices and awareness to tackle the misuse of these potent medications.
The number of diagnosed disorders related to the repeated use of sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has risen sharply since 2001, according to researchers at Rutgers Health.
Their study, published today (January 23) in Addiction, analyzed diagnosis trends for these disorders among adolescents and young adults from 2001 to 2019.
Sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety medications are commonly prescribed to treat conditions such as sleep problems and anxiety disorders. However, Harvard Health reports that regular use of these medications can lead to tolerance, requiring higher doses over time to achieve the same effects.
For some, a problematic pattern of use of these medications can lead to significant impairment and distress. When this happens, patients may be diagnosed with sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorders, which are estimated to impact 2.2 million Americans, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Statistical Increase in Disorders
Using national Medicaid data from nearly 7 million adolescents and young adults in 2001 and 13 million adolescents and young adults in 2019, Rutgers Health researchers looked at trends in sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorder diagnoses. The prevalence increased threefold in adolescents and increased fivefold in young adults from 2001 to 2019.
“The increase in diagnoses of these disorders may be due to changes in the availability, use, and misuse of sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics, as well as an increase in detection, awareness, and diagnosing of these disorders,” said Greta Bushnell, an assistant professor at the Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science (PETS) and lead author of the study.
Access and Nonmedical Use
Sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety medications are accessed in a number of ways, including through medical prescriptions as well as through nonmedical sources such as a friend or in a medicine cabinet. Researchers found the prevalence of a sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorders to be elevated in youths with prescriptions. However, the majority of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with a sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorder didn’t have a prescription for one of those medications.
“Efforts to target nonmedical use of these drugs is important as a means to reduce this disorder,” said Bushnell, who also is an assistant professor of epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health, “as is cautious prescribing in this young population.”
Comorbidity and Additional Risks
Researchers also found that most adolescents and young adults with sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorders had another comorbid substance use disorder diagnosis; in adolescents, cannabis use disorder was the most common, and opioid use disorder in young adults.
Importance of Awareness and Treatment
“While sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic use disorders are less common than other substance use disorders, it warrants attention from clinicians and researchers given treatment difficulties and the association with other substance use issues,” Bushnell said.
Examining trends in youth diagnosed with this disorder can lead to a better understanding of the population and improve support through care and resources, say researchers.
Reference: “Nationwide trends in diagnosed sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorders in adolescents and young adults enrolled in Medicaid: 2001–2019” by Greta Bushnell, Kristen Lloyd, Mark Olfson, Tobias Gerhard, Katherine Keyes, Magdalena Cerdá and Deborah Hasin, 22 January 2025, Addiction.
DOI: 10.1111/add.16749
Coauthors of the study include Kristen Lloyd and Tobias Gerhard of PETS and Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research; Katherine Keyes, Mark Olfson and Deborah Hasin of Columbia University; and Magdalena Cerdá of New York University.
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3 Comments
I’m not sure this will reach anyone who could put this information to good use. But I believe I fall under this category and been attempting to study it for a while now. I don’t know if you are aware, but 90% of the medicines you are describing can be purchased over the counter very easily with barely even an ID. All the vape shops sell these products and even Walmart has some! Alls I know is it has got me into a huge mess that I can’t get myself out of. Tianeptine is the one that has me tied up and even Kratom a little bit. Tianeptine is probable ‘sourced’ to being illegal in most all US states. I can assure you it is not. I live in a small town in Kansas and these products are readily available here. The gas stations and liquor stores are even suppliers now. From my perspective, it’s getting very scary out there. I know how this stuff affects the mind and the body. It traps you in a way that I have never felt before. Anyways. I want to help if I can help. Or maybe you can help me get this stuff removed from public availability, ban, something… anything. I’m called Tim and I can be reached at (785)844-1018. This email I check regularly but may not receive a message as easily as a phone call. I do hope to here from somebody.
You are right, alot of this stuff you can get anywhere, alot of it is prescribed at first but leads to more, it’s only getting worse, I hope everything works out for you,
When will you people leave others alone. Stop telling us what we can and can’t put into ur bodies. This stupid war on opioids and now this? This imaginitive opioid war is hurting more people than helping. Now you can’t get a single pain med when you really need it. Stay out of our lives government !!