AUTHOR=Carrasco-Garrido Pilar , Fernández-de-Las-Peñas Cesar , Hernández-Barrera Valentín , Palacios-Ceña Domingo , Jiménez-Trujillo Isabel , Gallardo-Pino Carmen 

TITLE=Benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics consumption in long-COVID-19 patients: Gender differences and associated factors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.975930

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2022.975930

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Background: Psychotropic drug consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe here the prevalence and identifying factors associated with Benzodiazepine (BZD) and Z-hypnotics use among a sample of Spanish adults suffering from long-COVID-19 syndrome, from a gender perspective.
Methods: Data were anonymously collected between 5th December 2021 and 15th March 2022. The collection form consisted of several questions gathering sociodemographic information, post-COVID symptom, health profile, and pharmacological drug intake. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on self-medicated consumption. Three models were generated (female, male and both sex).
Results: Prevalence of BZD and Z-hypnotics use was 44.9% (46.5% for women; 37.8% for men). Zolpidem was the most consumed drug among male (20.7%), and lorazepam in female (31.1%). Patterns of drug consumption among female were related with number of post-COVID symptoms and smoking habit (AOR:2.76; 95%CI 1.16-6.52). Males under 40 years of age are more likely to consume BZD and Z-hypnotics (AOR:5.52; 95%CI 1.08-28.27). 
Conclusions: It is necessary to know how COVID-19-related mitigation measures are associated to psychotropic drugs prescription patterns, and to get a better understanding of the link between gender and prescribed psychotropic drug types.