It is estimated that 36 million people currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, and that number will continue to grow as the Baby Boomer generation ages. As Alzheimer’s becomes more and more prevalent, researchers are trying to discover its origins: what causes it, what exacerbates it, and what people who have developed it have in common. A recent study has linked extended use of benzodiazepines (“benzos,” for short) to the development of the disorder. Benzos include drugs such as Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin, which aim to treat insomnia and assuage agitation and anxiety. Researchers defined “extended use” as usage of the drug for three months or longer. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s increased the longer someone used the drug.

Researchers found that those who took the equivalent of daily doses of benzos for three to six months over a period of five years were 32% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than someone who never took them. The results were even grimmer for people who took the equivalent of a daily dose for over six months. Those people were 84% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than someone who had never taken benzos. Although these results seem to clearly implicate the use of benzos in the development of Alzheimer’s, it’s important to remember that this merely proves correlation, not causation. Researchers do not yet have the information to prove that the extended use of benzos can cause Alzheimer’s, they have only found that they are related in some way. It’s also worth mentioning that anxiety – which could warrant the use of benzos – is considered a “hallmark” of Alzheimer’s, meaning that instead of the drug leading to the development of Alzheimer’s, the anxiety that warrants the use of the drug could be the actual risk factor. This idea could lead scientists to examine the link between different neurological disorders.

For now, it is important for people, especially older adults, to realize the potential risks of extended use of benzos. In addition to the possible implications of this study, benzos have also been linked to numerous other neurological impairments. Not only has it been proven that habitual use of benzos can degrade memory and mental performance, but research has also suggested that the receptors in the brain can become less active due to the continuous onslaught of signals from the drug, leading to cognitive decline.

Sources:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anti-anxiety-drugs-could-raise-risk-for-alzheimers/

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-sn-anxiety-drug-alzheimers-20140909-story.html