Study reveals hidden danger of common anxiety drug in seniors with kidney disease

This study looked at over 12,000 older adults (age 66+) with low kidney function who started taking lorazepam, a common anxiety medication. Researchers compared those taking higher doses (more than 1 mg per day) to those on lower doses (0.5-1 mg per day) to see if they had a higher risk of being hospitalized, visiting the emergency room, or dying within 30 days. The goal was to gather information to help guide safer prescribing, not to test a new treatment.