Medication for psychiatric disorders is a weighty subject already.
Now, add in this study, and they’re even more controversial.
Certain drugs that treat psychiatric disorders have now been found to increase the person’s risk of dementia.
These are a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, including Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax, which affect the central nervous system.
Currently, they’re used to treat panic disorders, anxiety, insomnia, and seizures.
They were introduced in the 1960s as an alternative to barbiturates, a more dangerous treatment at the time.
But now, the evidence is stacking up against benzodiazepines. Adverse effects include respiratory depression, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, and slowed heart rate.
Despite the fact that psychiatric protocols discourage physicians from prescribing these drugs as treatment for the illnesses mentioned above, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these drugs are still widely used for prolonged periods.
This is, of course, despite the fact that the longer they’re on this medication the higher their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The study found that those tho used benzodiazepines for three months or less did not see a significant increase in risk of dementia. But those who took it for six months saw their risk increase by 32 percent, where any time over 6 months increased their risk by a whopping 84 percent.
Dr. Helene Alphonso, director of Osteopathic Medical Education at North Texas University, stressed the importance of moving away from these drugs in a press release:
“Current research is extremely clear and physicians need to partner with their patients to move them into therapies, like anti-depressants, that are proven to be safer and more effective.”
These drugs are especially dangerous for those 65 and older, since when taking them, these adults are prone to accidental overdose and injuries.
Alphonso acknowledged it as an ample study, she said, “While correlation certainly isn’t causation, there’s ample reason to avoid this class of drug as a first-line therapy.”
