Life-skills target insomnia and stress drugs

A drug support program by correspondence may soon help insomniacs and people with anxiety disorders wean themselves off some of their drugs.

University of Queensland psychiatry researcher Jan Parr is investigating if psychological information about lifeskills and exercise can help patients cut back using benzodiazepines– such as Valium, Normisan and Serapax.

Patients would be given help and information over the phone and through regular newsletters sent to their home to complement their doctor’s advice.

Mrs Parr said some patients became addicted to benzodiazepines, even if they followed the right dosage may suffer withdrawal problems.

“They can get support from their doctor during dose reduction but we can give them other skills about coping with withdrawal symptoms such as aches and pains and help with diet, exercise and life skills,” Mrs Parr said.

UQ’s School of Medicine needs benzodiazepine users for a trial over six months.

People who are interested, should talk with their doctor first about taking part in the study.

Mrs Parr said she believed the study would help build the first psychological skills program by correspondence to help people with benzodiazepine withdrawal.

“If psychological approaches do help, then we’ll look at packaging them in a way that they can be used by GPs.”

The study is co-ordinated by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service in Cairns in collaboration with UQ’s Professor David Kavanagh.

For more information contact Jan Parr (phone: 1800 003 472, 0408 070 615, email: Jan_Parr@health.qld.gov.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (phone: 3365 2619, email: m.holland@uq.edu.au)