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Prescription of clonazepam in Costa Rica

abstract

Benzodiazepines are a group of medications prescribed for various health problems such as
insomnia and anxiety. Clonazepam is part of the group of drugs that form benzodiazepines.
Its main therapeutic indication is as an anticonvulsant; it is however also used in panic disorder,
anxiety disorders, in cases of acute mania and to facilitate the withdrawal from other benzodiazepines.
The objective of the present investigation is to describe the behavior in the prescription
of clonazepam within the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) in the period from 2011
to 2015. The population of the present investigation was constituted by 701,999 prescriptions
of clonazepam within the CCSS in Costa Rica. It is part of a piece of exploratory quantitative
research. Within the results it was found that in the composition of the prescriptions by patient’s
sex, 33.90% of these were prescribed for men. This medication was prescribed mostly by general
practitioners and in general terms the prescribed doses are below the DDD defined for this
medication. One of the main conclusions is the need for more research on the subject in order
to extend the findings of this work.

Keywords:

Drug prescriptions, clonazepam, benzodiazepines, use of medications.

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Authors

Consuelo Cubero Alpízar - Universidad de Costa Rica
Ligia Rojas Valenciano - Universidad de Costa Rica
Mauricio Campos Fernández - Universidad de Costa Rica
Luis Esteban Hernández Soto - Universidad de Costa Rica