A questionnaire association cannot establish the direction of a medication–symptom relationship.
A Japanese cross-sectional study used a dependence self-report instrument in 707 benzodiazepine-receptor-agonist patients. Many reported voluntary tapering or discontinuation, and the number of medicines was associated with more severe reported problems.
Patients with more severe underlying symptoms may receive more drugs, while treatment can also contribute to difficulties. The design could not track change over time or establish causation. A questionnaire category is not direct observation of intoxication or diversion.
Clarify what the instrument measured and avoid assigning motive from a noncompliance label. For individual review, determine the prescribed plan, actual changes, symptoms and communication with clinicians. The survey cannot prove that polypharmacy caused every complaint or predict a patient’s ability to discontinue treatment.
Source: PMC8182966, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.
Related: Etomidate–Midazolam Versus Propofol–Ketamine in Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction.