Benzodiazepines were discovered serendipitously in the 1950s and later marketed as safer alternatives to barbiturates, leading to increased popularity over subsequent decades. Though touted as safe treatments for anxiety and insomnia, problems with benzodiazepines became more apparent by the 1980s, especially risks of physiological dependence, misuse, and addiction. Although clinicians’ enthusiasm for benzodiazepines has waned, they remain popular medications among patients owing to their rapid symptom relief and reinforcing effects. The opioid crisis has dominated headlines, yet benzodiazepines are an underrecognized and important contributor to the public health crisis of drug overdose deaths.
