Prescription billing data collected by the federal government reveal wide discrepancies among prescribers, when it comes to benzodiazepines, a class of drugs used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and seizures, under the brand names Valium, Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin, among others. The drugs can be dangerous for some users, especially if combined with other drugs that act similarly as central nervous system depressants, and regulators have called for additional patient safeguards, after documented misuse of the drugs.
Data shown below in the number of days' supply of any benzodiazepine prescribed.