Abstract

Introduction: Anxiolytics are one of the most prescribed drugs due to their wide therapeutic use. Aims: Our goal is to examine the frequency of anxiolytics use in medical students. Materials and methods: 222 medical students from 1st to 6th year at the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek participated in the research by solving an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Of the 222 students, 19.5% used anxiolytics. Women use them significantly more than men. The most common indication for use is anxiety. The most used benzodiazepine is alprazolam. They are mostly used by 6th-year medical students. Reasons for benzodiazepine use vary depending on the year of study; 3rd-year students use benzodiazepines due to upcoming exams, while for the 5th and 6th year students, family and love problems are more common reasons. 59.1% of students use benzodiazepines once every few months, while 5% use them daily. 20.9% use and consider herbal sedatives useful. 32.6% of students who used benzodiazepines sought professional help, while 41.9 % thought about it. Conclusions: Even though medical students are exposed to great stress and use anxiolytics more than the general population; their use is rational and controlled.