Pharmaceutical Treatment for Anxiety Increases Risk of Alzheimer’s

A recent study has found that benzodiazepines–a class of drug commonly prescribed for anxiety–increase the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. . . .

This large study followed 8980 elderly people for 6 years. It found that use of benzodiazepines for 3 months or more was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.

For people who used the drug long term, the rate of Alzheimer’s was 32.9% compared to 27.8% for the control group. This risk grew with the length of time people were on the drug. Using benzodiazepines for 3-6 months increased the risk by 32%; using them for more than 6 months increased the risk by 84%. Overall the risk of Alzheimer’s went up by 43%-51%.

Another recent study (BMJ 2012;345:e6231) also found a 50% increase risk of Alzheimer’s for users of benzodiazepines.

Interestingly, at the same time, Germany authorities have ruled that there was no justification for the ban on kava kava, the most effective treatment–natural or pharmaceutical–for anxiety. They ruled that the benefit-risk ratio for kava is positive (see HerbalGram #103).

A review of the cases that led to kava’s removal from the market compared the risk of using kava to the risk of using benzodiazepines. It found that swithching from the herb to the drug would increase, not decrease, the risk of adverse events (German Pharmacists Jouranal 2002). Now add an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

For a full discussion of kava for anxiety and of its safety, see our book Healthy Herbs: Your Everyday Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Their Use.

BMJ 2014;349:g5205