Anxiety and sleeping pills linked to increased risk of dementia

Research suggests that long-term use of anxiety and sleeping pills may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.

16:31 11 September 2014

A recent study that was participated in by 2,000 Canadian adults aged over 66 found that taking benzodiazepine for more than three months increases the risk of dementia up to 50per cent. Based on NHS guidelines, the drug should not be used for more than 12 weeks.

lead researcher, Sophie Billioti de Gage of the University of Bordeaux, France, and colleagues wrote in the BMJ:  "Benzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.”

"Unwarranted long-term use of these drugs should be considered as a public health concern."

Although the study was able to establish the link between the drug and dementia, the nature of the link is still unclear.

"One limitation of this study is that benzodiazepines treat symptoms such as anxiety and sleep disturbance, which may also be early indicators of Alzheimer's disease."

Prof Guy Goodwin, president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, said the findings "could mean that the drugs cause the disease, but is more likely to mean that the drugs are being given to people who are already ill".