2025-16: How Not to Prescribe Benzodiazepines: You're getting nervous already, aren't you?

Since benzodiazepines were introduced, they were useful in the management of anxiety, withdrawal and other uses.  They were portrayed to be safe and a panacea for multiple psychiatric issues. Prescribing outside of their indications has led to national epidemics of misuse and chronic use. Indicated uses and alternatives are covered.

Presenters: Alan Anthony ("Tony") Amberg, MSN, APN, PMHNP-BC; Lauren M. Prasek, APN, PMHNP-BC

Disclosures: The presenters and planners have no conflict of interest or commercial support to disclose.  Off-label uses will be discussed during this presentation. 

Session Length: 48 minutes

Target Audience: APRN

Session Objectives
Upon completion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:
1.  Identify common benzodiazepines and describe their mechanism of action.
2.  Describe common uses vs. indicated uses for benzodiazepines (including misuses) and side/adverse effects associated with benzodiazepine use medications. 
3.  Recognize appropriate uses of and alternatives to benzodiazepines.

Keywords: Psyhopharmacology, Benzodiazapines, Practice, Addiction, Substance Abuse, Dependence, Anxiety, Delirium

Continuing Nursing Education
1.0 pharmacology contact hours.  * In order to receive contact hours, you must: Listen to presentation, complete an evaluation, and earn a passing score on the post-test before the expiration date. You will have 5 tries to correctly answer the questions on the post-test and a score of 80% is required to pass. Once you have passed and completed an evaluation, the certificate will be generated online, available for you to print immediately. You cannot earn credit unless all steps are completed.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Originally Presented
APNA 30th Annual Conference
Hartford, Connecticut
Thursday, October 20
11:15am - 12:00pm 

Release Date: January 19, 2017
The contact hours for this session expire: November 30, 2019