Benzodiazepine Prescribing in Maine
Medicare Part D, 2013–2024.
Benzodiazepine prescribing in Maine fell 28.2% between 2013 and 2024 — a steeper fall than the country as a whole. In 2024 the state recorded 169,086 Medicare Part D benzodiazepine claims across 36,781 patients, an average of 4.6 fills per patient per year, which ranks 28 of 51 states. Lorazepam accounts for 36.4% of it.
Maine over twelve years
Which benzodiazepines Maine prescribes
| Drug | Claims 2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lorazepam | 61,601 | 36.4% |
| Clonazepam | 50,549 | 29.9% |
| Alprazolam | 33,501 | 19.8% |
| Diazepam | 18,794 | 11.1% |
| Temazepam | 3,097 | 1.8% |
Psychiatric prescribers in Maine
114 psychiatric prescribers in Maine appear in the 2024 Medicare Part D data with benzodiazepine claims. 18 of them recorded at least a 50% fall in benzodiazepine claims since 2019. Sorted by change, largest reduction first.
This is a record, not a recommendation. A fall in Medicare benzodiazepine claims has many possible explanations — a changing patient panel, retirement, a shift to another payer, or simply dropping below the threshold CMS publishes. It does not establish that a prescriber supports tapering, and a low number does not mean they will take you as a patient. Use it as one input, then ask the five vetting questions.
| Prescriber | City | 2019 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paula Kirby-LongPsychiatry | Lewiston | 683 | 14 | -98% |
| Cameron BonneyPsychiatry | Portland | 287 | 14 | -95.1% |
| Joseph ScottPsychiatry | Biddeford | 439 | 24 | -94.5% |
| Gerald FlorezaPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | 154 | 13 | -91.6% |
| Joshua SimonPsychiatry | Lewiston | 262 | 58 | -77.9% |
| Miles SimmonsPsychiatry | Brunswick | 147 | 38 | -74.1% |
| Bernard GordonPsychiatry | Portland | 161 | 42 | -73.9% |
| Stephanie AchillesPsychiatry | Bar Harbor | 137 | 37 | -73% |
| Momen ElnesrPsychiatry | Presque Isle | 321 | 88 | -72.6% |
| Ruth FrydmanPsychiatry & Neurology | Lewiston | 85 | 24 | -71.8% |
| Kevin KavookjianPsychiatry | Lewiston | 487 | 141 | -71% |
| Leslie DixonPsychiatry | Biddeford | 143 | 44 | -69.2% |
| Christie EmighPsychiatry | Ellsworth | 235 | 75 | -68.1% |
| Harold Van LonkhuyzenPsychiatry | Rockland | 185 | 61 | -67% |
| Peter MirkinPsychiatry | Portland | 143 | 49 | -65.7% |
| Andres AbreuPsychiatry & Neurology | Bar Harbor | 37 | 14 | -62.2% |
| Mary DowdAddiction Medicine | Portland | 108 | 43 | -60.2% |
| David NaglerPsychiatry | Brunswick | 266 | 131 | -50.8% |
| Barbara ReevePsychiatry | Ellsworth | 209 | 117 | -44% |
| Charles MitchellPsychiatry | Portland | 154 | 93 | -39.6% |
| Madeline GoodmanPsychiatry | Portland | 57 | 36 | -36.8% |
| Annabel BradfordPsychiatry | Lewiston | 41 | 26 | -36.6% |
| Arlene AlmazanPsychiatry | Skowhegan | 289 | 188 | -34.9% |
| Robert CroswellPsychiatry | Waterville | 333 | 224 | -32.7% |
| Yvonne DecoryPsychiatry | Biddeford | 145 | 99 | -31.7% |
| Richard NilsonPsychiatry | Rockland | 725 | 501 | -30.9% |
| Jeffrey StenzelPsychiatry | Brunswick | 56 | 40 | -28.6% |
| Danhong ZhaoPsychiatry | Fort Fairfield | 458 | 328 | -28.4% |
| Marjorie SnyderPsychiatry | Bangor | 201 | 144 | -28.4% |
| David HawkinsNeuropsychiatry | Bangor | 75 | 56 | -25.3% |
| Mitchell PulverPsychiatry | Brunswick | 1,415 | 1,097 | -22.5% |
| Thaddeus ShattuckPsychiatry | Lewiston | 223 | 173 | -22.4% |
| Whitney HoughtonPsychiatry | Brunswick | 108 | 90 | -16.7% |
| Rosalind GoldPsychiatry | Portland | 557 | 475 | -14.7% |
| Sehar KhokherPsychiatry | Bangor | 62 | 54 | -12.9% |
| Paul MinotPsychiatry | Waterville | 615 | 586 | -4.7% |
| Abhay SinghPsychiatry | Lewiston | 206 | 200 | -2.9% |
| Charles MalloPsychiatry | Portland | 267 | 266 | -0.4% |
| Leora RabinPsychiatry | Portland | 303 | 303 | 0% |
| Teresa HermidaPsychiatry | Winthrop | 13 | 13 | 0% |
| Eve WolinskyPsychiatry | Bangor | 291 | 302 | +3.8% |
| Michael PatnaudePsychiatry | Westbrook | 131 | 146 | +11.5% |
| Daniel BatesNeuropsychiatry | Kennebunk | 432 | 487 | +12.7% |
| Clifford SingerPsychiatry | Bangor | 332 | 375 | +13% |
| Niamh HolohanPsychiatry | Bangor | 125 | 145 | +16% |
| William JeanblancPsychiatry | Portland | 444 | 523 | +17.8% |
| Christine WhitePsychiatry | Princeton | 292 | 360 | +23.3% |
| Colin PopePsychiatry | Lewiston | 485 | 657 | +35.5% |
| Timothy WaitePsychiatry | Portland | 242 | 332 | +37.2% |
| Mark OvertonPsychiatry | Fort Kent | 124 | 174 | +40.3% |
| Carol BrowningPsychiatry | Belfast | 111 | 156 | +40.5% |
| Daniel PricePsychiatry | Portland | 205 | 291 | +42% |
| David SchmidtPsychiatry | Rockport | 496 | 740 | +49.2% |
| Kathleen AbernathyPsychiatry | Yarmouth | 66 | 108 | +63.6% |
| Scott TreworgyPsychiatry | Lewiston | 58 | 95 | +63.8% |
| Kara StuhrPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | 48 | 82 | +70.8% |
| Cynthia SortwellPsychiatry | Portland | 13 | 23 | +76.9% |
| Patricia OuellettePsychiatry | Brunswick | 52 | 108 | +107.7% |
| David FolksPsychiatry | Augusta | 201 | 434 | +115.9% |
| Anthony KozmaPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | 17 | 53 | +211.8% |
| Vijay AmarendranPsychiatry | Brewer | 57 | 190 | +233.3% |
| Robert KyselaPsychiatry | Portland | 96 | 369 | +284.4% |
| Edward BilottiPsychiatry | South Portland | 39 | 171 | +338.5% |
| Anne MerraPsychiatry | Portland | — | 454 | — |
| Kendra GreenePsychiatry | Lewiston | — | 324 | — |
| Jennifer GrahamPsychiatry | Westbrook | — | 311 | — |
| Clair SulerzyskiPsychiatry & Neurology | Augusta | — | 265 | — |
| Ryan RobinsonPsychiatry | Farmington | — | 222 | — |
| Kelli BaldrickPsychiatry | Westbrook | — | 217 | — |
| Marianne BernadinoPsychiatry | Camden | — | 207 | — |
| Alice-Lee VestnerPsychiatry | Portland | — | 194 | — |
| Kristen MazokiPsychiatry & Neurology | Farmington | — | 193 | — |
| Timothy NewellPsychiatry | Portland | — | 164 | — |
| Justin OtisNeuropsychiatry | Bangor | — | 161 | — |
| Marcialee LedbetterPsychiatry | Sanford | — | 159 | — |
| Annya TisherPsychiatry | Portland | — | 152 | — |
| Andre TrzaskowskiPsychiatry | Augusta | — | 145 | — |
| Alisa ClearyAddiction Medicine | Brewer | — | 129 | — |
| Sylvia ParkPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | — | 104 | — |
| Benjamin ShapiroPsychiatry | Brunswick | — | 104 | — |
| Pamela BokatPsychiatry | Portland | — | 96 | — |
| Rebekah VillarrealPsychiatry | Bar Harbor | — | 93 | — |
| Mark Joshua BernardoPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | — | 79 | — |
| Kasey MossPsychiatry | Westbrook | — | 65 | — |
| Harold AmselPsychiatry | Ellsworth | — | 63 | — |
| Aanchal SharmaPsychiatry | Bangor | — | 61 | — |
| Jeremy SpiegelPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | — | 59 | — |
| Helia MaghziPsychiatry & Neurology | Scarborough | — | 57 | — |
| Michaela ModenPsychiatry | Farmington | — | 47 | — |
| William QuaylePsychiatry & Neurology | Westbrook | — | 35 | — |
| Kendra CornwallPsychiatry & Neurology | Portland | — | 35 | — |
| Nicholas PiotrowskiPsychiatry | South Portland | — | 35 | — |
| Rachel HendersonPsychiatry & Neurology | Westbrook | — | 33 | — |
| Christopher ButtarazziPsychiatry | South Portland | — | 32 | — |
| Jonathan FellersNeuropsychiatry | Portland | — | 30 | — |
| Robert ToscanoPsychiatry | Portland | — | 30 | — |
| Ben GuidoPsychiatry | Portland | — | 26 | — |
| Michelle SharpPsychiatry | Bangor | — | 21 | — |
| Bernard QuigleyPsychiatry | Bangor | — | 19 | — |
| Robert MccarleyPsychiatry & Neurology | Scarborough | — | 19 | — |
| Jennifer MogulPsychiatry | Lewiston | — | 18 | — |
| Kathryn YungPsychiatry | Brunswick | — | 17 | — |
| Catherine JakubowitchPsychiatry | Portland | — | 15 | — |
| Douglas JohnstonPsychiatry | Portland | — | 15 | — |
| Fernando BarreraPsychiatry | South Portland | — | 14 | — |
| Daniel FilenePsychiatry | Portland | — | 14 | — |
| Patrick KilloranPsychiatry & Neurology | Augusta | — | 13 | — |
| Renee WitlenPsychiatry | Portland | — | 13 | — |
| Jacob PerlmanPsychiatry & Neurology | Brunswick | — | 13 | — |
| Lewis Mehl-MadronaPsychiatry | Orono | — | 13 | — |
| Peter KangNeuropsychiatry | Scarborough | — | 12 | — |
| Sarah KimPsychiatry | South Portland | — | 11 | — |
| Cynthia CushmanPsychiatry | Portland | 11 | 123 | +1018.2% |
| Cortney LyfordPsychiatry | Biddeford | 18 | 322 | +1688.9% |
Figures are reproduced from the CMS public use files without alteration. Clinicians who believe a row misstates their record can write to support@taperoffbenzos.com and we will check it against the source file and correct or remove it.
Finding a prescriber in Maine
This data describes prescribing patterns; it does not tell you who will support a slow taper. For that, our guide to finding a benzo-wise prescriber compares every free provider directory that exists and lists the five questions that predict how a taper will go. If you already have a prescriber, the taper calculator generates a schedule to review with them.
Frequently asked questions
Is benzodiazepine prescribing rising or falling in Maine?
It fell 28.2% between 2013 and 2024 in Medicare Part D — a steeper fall than the country as a whole, where prescribing fell 12.9%. In 2024, Maine recorded 169,086 benzodiazepine claims across 36,781 patients.
How does Maine compare to other states?
Maine ranks 28 of 51 for prescribing intensity, at 4.6 benzodiazepine fills per patient per year, and 8 of 51 for the size of its decline since 2013 (1 being the steepest fall).
Which benzodiazepine is prescribed most in Maine?
Lorazepam, at 61,601 claims — 36.4% of the state's benzodiazepine prescribing in 2024. Next are Clonazepam (29.9%) and Alprazolam (19.8%).
Source
CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers public use files, data years 2013–2024 (US Government work, public domain). Medicare Part D only — it excludes commercial insurance and cash-pay, skews toward patients 65 and over, and suppresses cells of 10 or fewer claims. Full methodology and limitations are on the national page.