[Prescription for diazepam 5 mg tablets in Vestfold 1989 and 1995]

During the last five years, the prescription of tranquillizers has been reduced by 26% in Vestfold County compared with 19% in the country as a whole. This is probably a result of two initiatives: a common strategy to reduce prescription in the county, and monitoring prescription rate of the individual general practitioners. We examined the prescription of diazepam 5 mg tablets and found a reduction of more than 30% from 1989 to 1995. The reduction was greatest among the younger age groups and decreased with increasing age. The most probable reason for this pattern is a more restrictive attitude among general practitioners towards using diazepam to treat the young and middle-aged. The results for 1995 show that women still receive about 60% more diazepam than men, and women aged 70-79 years receive 117% more than women aged 40-49 years.