Proportion of prescriptions of benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, and non-benzodiazepines with a recorded insomnia diagnosis, Australian general practices, 2011–2018
| Medication | Proportion of prescriptions with a recorded insomnia diagnosis, %a | Annual change, % (95% CI) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Benzodiazepines | |||||||||
| Temazepam | 25.3 | 26.9 | 29.6 | 31.4 | 32.2 | 33.7 | 35.4 | 38.1 | 5.6 (4.6 to 6.6) |
| Diazepam | 14.0 | 14.2 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 17.2 | 17.8 | 19.0 | 19.5 | 5.1 (3.7 to 6.4) |
| Oxazepam | 19.2 | 20.8 | 21.5 | 23.3 | 23.3 | 24.0 | 24.7 | 26.9 | 4.2 (2.7 to 5.8) |
| Nitrazepam | 28.0 | 28.6 | 31.9 | 34.5 | 35.3 | 37.8 | 39.8 | 40.9 | 5.9 (4.0 to 7.7) |
| Alprazolam | 11.6 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 14.5 | 14.8 | 15.7 | 14.7 | 4.0 (1.6 to 6.4) |
| Z-drugs | |||||||||
| Zolpidem | 37.9 | 39.2 | 43.5 | 43.4 | 44.4 | 46.6 | 47.6 | 50.5 | 3.8 (2.6 to 5.0) |
| Zopiclone | 44.4 | 46.2 | 45.0 | 47.8 | 49.9 | 51.5 | 52.7 | 54.6 | 3.2 (1.8 to 4.5) |
| Non-benzodiazepines | |||||||||
| Amitriptyline | 11.6 | 12.8 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 15.0 | 16.1 | 16.8 | 17.2 | 5.1 (3.3 to 6.7) |
| Mirtazapine | 15.2 | 15.2 | 16.9 | 18.3 | 18.2 | 19.0 | 19.9 | 20.4 | 4.3 (3.1 to 5.5) |
| Quetiapine | 14.6 | 15.5 | 16.1 | 16.8 | 17.3 | 18.4 | 19.5 | 19.9 | 4.6 (2.9 to 6.3) |
| Melatonin | 48.1 | 47.8 | 48.9 | 49.5 | 49.5 | 51.1 | 50.7 | 50.7 | 0.8 (0.0 to 1.7) |
↵a Results adjusted for age and sex. Insomnia diagnosis recorded in current year or 1 year preceding the prescription. CI = confidence interval.