Benzos Raise Dementia Risk 50%

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A 15-year prospective study, in the British Medical Journal this week, of 1063 subjects by researchers from the University of Bordeaux and Harvard University found that use of benzodiazepines raises the risk of dementia by approximately 50%. The researchers recommend that “physicians should carefully assess the expected benefits of the use of benzodiazepines in the light of these adverse effects and, whenever possible, limit prescription to a few weeks.”

Article → Billioti de Gage, S., Begaud, B., et al; Benzodiazepine Use and Risk of Dementia: Prospective Population Based Study. British Medical Journal. 2012; 345: e6231 (Published September 27, 2012)

Of further interest:
Dementia risk from sleeping tablets: Pensioners on pills taken by 1.5m are 50% more likely to be hit, warns Harvard study

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Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole, MFT, founding editor of Mad in America, works in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a couples and family therapist. Inspired by Open Dialogue, he works as part of a team and consults with couples and families that have members identified as patients. His work in residential treatment — largely with severely traumatized and/or "psychotic" clients — led to an appreciation of the power and beauty of systemic philosophy and practice, as the alternative to the prevailing focus on individual pathology. A former film-maker, he has undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University, as well as an MFT degree from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. He is a doctoral candidate with the Taos Institute and the Free University of Brussels. You can reach him at [email protected].

1 COMMENT

  1. Every day it’s something new with these drugs.

    Today, a fifty percent increase risk of dementia with benzodiazepines.

    What do we read tomorrow, and the next day, the day after that…?

    How many more days do we continue to read the news before we begin to ask ourselves a very simple question:
    Why are we using these drugs AT ALL?

    Or do we live in too politically correct a culture… and keep reading the news every day… while millions take their mind-altering drugs?

    It’s not only sad.
    It’s stupid!

    Duane

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