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Research Article: Medication-Seeking Behaviors and Correlated Characteristics of Zolpidem Users in Taiwan—A Shared Patient Network Analysis

Date Published: 2024-03-14

Abstract:
Increasing insomnia signals a public health problem, alongside rising zolpidem use. This study investigates the factors behind the disproportionate rise in zolpidem prescriptions in Taiwan. It aims to identify the determinants of high-dose zolpidem users in Taiwan’s Yilan County and employ an innovative approach to outline their medication-seeking patterns, using Taiwan’s healthcare database. The associations between sociodemographic and clinical factors and low-dose and high-dose users were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Social network analysis was employed to explore medication-seeking behavior among these user groups across different healthcare institutions. Of our 5290 participants, 22.82% are high-dose users. This study found that males face a 1.33-fold higher risk and that having chronic diseases is a major risk factor, contributing to a more than four-times higher risk (adjusted OR = 4.27, 95% CI 1.55–11.70) of being a high-dose user of zolpidem. A social network analysis showed a higher density (0.52) for high-dose users, revealing their frequent visits, for zolpidem, to different healthcare institutions. Psychiatrists have a central role in both low-dose and high-dose user networks, with a greater influence on low-dose users (64.4) than high-dose users (32.2). In sum, patients seeking high doses of zolpidem are driven by personal factors. Future efforts should include regulated dispensing, public health education, and specialized training for healthcare professionals on drug addiction.

Introduction:
Insomnia is a significant public health issue affecting a considerable portion of the population at various points in their lives, leading to a decreased quality of life, increased absenteeism, disability, and higher healthcare costs [1]. Previous surveys have indicated that one third to one half of the general population may experience symptoms of insomnia at least once in their lifetime, with about 70% of these cases following a chronic course over a 1-year follow-up [2,3]. The prevalence of insomnia in Taiwan…

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