The public and doctors in France are being warned against the overuse of a type of anti-anxiety and insomnia medication, in a new campaign launched by the national medicines safety agency.
The Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament (ANSM) launched the new campaign on April 10 in a bid to raise awareness, among the general public and healthcare professionals, of the dangers of overuse of benzodiazepines which are medicines typically prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia.
Common brand names of these medicines in France include Xanax, Lexomil, and Temesta, but there are many others (see list below).
The ANSM is warning that their prescription and use should be temporary, and that they should be taken for as short a period as possible.
“The correct use is to use a medication that is suitable for a patient with a particular pathology and we know that the patient's situation allows this medication to be used with a favourable risk/benefit balance,” said Professor Catherine Paugam-Burtz, director general of the ANSM, to BFMTV.
She said that it was important to consider “the dosage and the duration of the treatment”.
The ANSM has a focus on benzodiazepines on the website LesMedicamentsEtMoi’ (medicines and me), which redirects to this ANSM information page.
Overuse in France
More than 9 million French people were prescribed benzodiazepine in 2024, ANSM figures show. This makes France the second-highest consumer of these drugs in Europe, behind Spain, but “far ahead of the UK and Germany”, said Dr Philippe Vella, medical director at the ANSM.
The authority also estimates that 40% of patients treated with benzodiazepines have prescriptions that offer the drugs for too long.
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It recommends:
Insomnia: Recommended duration of treatment is a few days, and no more than three weeks
Anxiety: Recommended prescription should not exceed 12 weeks.
“When we ask people who have been treated or are currently being treated, fewer than three out of five know that they should be taken for a short period of time,” said Prof Paugam-Burtz.
This is because the drugs can have some long-term effects, including causing dependence, and increasing the risk of falls, memory disorders, drowsiness, and problems with driving.
The longer the treatment, the greater the risk of these adverse effects, the ANSM states.
These images from the ANSM suggest alternatives (e.g. reading, socialising, physical activity, and meditation) as a first resort for anxiety and insomnia, rather than benzodiazepine useAnsm.sante.fr
The authority is seeking to raise awareness of the measures that can be taken before the prescription of such drugs, including:
Insomnia
Adopting a sleep routine that involves going to bed and getting up at the same time every day
Limiting stimulants such as coffee, alcohol and tobacco
Avoiding large evening meals
Keeping the temperature in your bedroom below 19°C
Reducing your exposure to noise, light and screens, especially in the two hours before bedtime
Taking physical exercise during the day, several hours before bedtime
Not to take naps for more than one hour during the day, or at too-late times (e.g. after 16:00)
Anxiety
Changing or eliminating the possible causes of the anxiety
Engaging in physical activity or a relaxing activity, such as yoga, gardening, cooking or reading
Meditation
Talking therapy
However, it also advises people suffering from anxiety not to hesitate to consult a doctor, who can then refer them to a psychologist or psychiatrist if necessary.
Names for benzodiazepine
The ANSM warns that benzodiazepine drugs may be known/labelled as:
