Purpose: The objective of this survey was to study the prescription rate of benzodiazepinics in a Primary Health Care Unit, in the city of Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Method: Every consultation during a 12 month period was recorded, including the prescription of drugs. In order to analyze the prescription of benzodiazepinics we considered only the 3,368 consultations of patients above 25 years.
Results: Patients whose age ranged from 45-64 years experienced the highest prescription rates, benzodiazepinics being the third most prescribed drug for males and the fourth for females.
Conclusion: The results show that benzodiazepinics are among the most prescribed drugs.