General practitioners are responsible for about 90% of all prescriptions for psychotropic drugs which benzodiazepines account for approximately 75%. In order to obtain a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the consumption in Svendborg, all benzodiazepine prescriptions were registered during a two-month period (February and March 1990). A total of 3364 prescriptions were issued to 6% (2262 persons) of the population. Of these, 1837 (54.6%) were prescriptions for tranquillizers, 1272 (37.8%) for hypnotics and 255 (7.6%) for both tranquillizers and hypnotics. The prevalence of benzodiazepine users increased with age and women were responsible for about 2/3 of the total consumption. Small but frequent prescriptions were issued to the younger users of benzodiazepines while older users generally received prescriptions for greater quantities at longer intervals. One in four persons over 80 years of age used sedatives. On account of the pharmaceutical, social and economic consequences of the widespread use of benzodiazepines in the elderly population, restrain should be observed in prescribing benzodiazepines.