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Did the New French Regulation of Zolpidem Decrease the Problematic Consumption of Zolpidem? A Field Study among
Edouard-Jules Laforgue1,2, Morgane Rousselet1,2,3, Antoine Claudon1
1CHU Nantes, Service de Pharmacologie Clinique-Centre d'Evaluation et d'Information sur la Pharmacovigilance-Addictovigilance, Nantes Université, F-44000 Nantes, France.
Summary
A 2017 French regulation for zolpidem prescriptions reduced problematic use in specialized care but not general practice. This study tracked zolpidem consumption changes in at-risk users.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacovigilance
- Public Health Policy
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- French drug regulation mandated secured prescription pads for zolpidem in 2017.
- This aimed to curb problematic zolpidem consumption patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the 2017 zolpidem regulation on individual-level problematic consumption.
- To assess changes in at-risk zolpidem users before and after the regulatory change.
Main Methods:
- Recruited two nationwide populations of at-risk zolpidem users: general practitioner (GP) attendees and specialized care for drug dependence (SCDD) patients.
- Assessed zolpidem consumption patterns, including overconsumption, acquisition methods, sought effects, and administration routes, pre- and post-regulation.
Main Results:
- A total of 243 participants (125 GP, 118 SCDD) were analyzed.
- In GP settings, problematic zolpidem use prevalence slightly decreased from 24.8% to 20.8% (non-significant).
- In SCDD settings, problematic zolpidem use prevalence significantly decreased from 73.7% to 51.7% (p < 0.001), with overconsumption and fraudulent acquisition being key indicators.
Conclusions:
- The 2017 French zolpidem regulation demonstrated differential effectiveness across distinct patient populations.
- Specialized care settings showed a significant reduction in problematic zolpidem consumption, unlike general practice settings.
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