Taking drugs categorized as benzodiazepines when you’re at least 65 years of age may drastically increase your dementia risk, according to a new study by French researchers. These drugs include Xanax, Valium and other similar prescription medications designed as sleeping aids or anxiety reducers. In the study, those who took such drugs increased their likelihood of developing dementia by 50% in comparison to those who did not over the same 15-year time span.
Concrete causes of dementia are still up for debate. In general, the Alzheimer’s Association recommends protecting yourself from potential head trauma in order to avoid dementia. They also suggest trying to avoid blood-related conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. So far, studies have not confirmed the once-believed myth that aluminum causes dementia.
About the Study
During the study, French researchers examined 1,000 elderly adults with an average age of 78, none of whom suffered from dementia and none of whom took benzodiazepines at the beginning of the study. Within five years of the initiation of the study, 95 of the subjects had started using benzodiazepines.
By the time 15 years had passed, the researchers confirmed that 253 of the individuals had dementia. Exactly 223 of those who abstained from benzodiazepine developed dementia, while the same was true of 30 of the benzodiazepine users. Next, the researchers calculated that 3.2 subjects per 100 non-users developed dementia each year, while 4.8 subjects per 100 benzodiazepine users developed the same.
The findings of the study held even when the researchers accounted for various factors that could play into dementia risk, including early symptoms of dementia, diabetes, gender and age. The researchers also examined many of the reasons why the individuals began taking benzodiazepines to begin with.
Limitations of the Study
According to the researchers, the study accounted for participants who displayed signs of depression, which has been linked with the onset of dementia. However, they also admitted that they were unable to determine whether sleep disorders and anxiety, other precursors of dementia, affected the study’s results.
The researchers also warned that their study only identified a link of association between benzodiazepine use and dementia, but not necessarily a link of causation. In other words, taking sleep and anxiety drugs does not necessarily directly lead to dementia. At the same time, previous studies have found a similar link, and benzodiazepine use in older adults has been linked with other dangerous consequences, such as increased risk of falling.
As a result of their findings and the popularity of prescribing benzodiazepines for various purposes, the researchers cautioned against the “indiscriminate, widespread use” of the drugs.
Evidence has shown that benzodiazepines are only effective for short periods of time. Despite this, many individuals take them continuously for years. The researchers said that limiting use to a few weeks or less would likely mitigate the negative consequences of benzodiazepines.
In the near future, the researchers hope to examine whether dementia risk changes depending on benzodiazepine dosage, and whether the drugs can alter dementia risk in younger adults.
Sleeping Pills and Dementia: The Bottom Line
Taking Valium, Xanax and other drugs classified as benzodiazepines may increase dementia risk by up to 50% in older adults. Ideally, these drugs should only be taken for a few weeks at a time or less, since taking them for longer reduces their effectiveness and likely increases the risk of dangerous side effects.
The full text of the study is available online in the British Medical Journal.
