Posted by stan_the_man70 on December 30, 2015, at 11:58:22
In reply to benzo withdrawal blog, posted by stan_the_man70 on December 30, 2015, at 11:38:33
----------------quote reference
http://www.madinamerica.com/2014/10/benzos-cognitive-damage/
----------------end quoteBenzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers disease. The stronger association observed for long term exposures reinforces the suspicion of a possible direct association, even if benzodiazepine use might also be an early marker of a condition associated with an increased risk of dementia. Unwarranted long term use of these drugs should be considered as a public health concern.
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"Our study reinforces the suspicion of an increased risk of Alzheimer type dementia among benzodiazepine users, particularly long term users, and provides arguments for carefully evaluating the indications for use of this drug class. Our findings are of major importance for public health, especially considering the prevalence and chronicity of benzodiazepine use in older people and the high and increasing incidence of dementia in developed countries. In such conditions, a risk increased by 43-51% in users would generate a huge number of excess cases, even in countries where the prevalence of use of these drugs is not high."
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"'Somewhere along the way, the message got lost, and patients were allowed to use benzodiazepines for months and years,' said Mohit P. Chopra, M.D., a member of APAs Council on Geriatric Psychiatry. Chopra, who was not involved with the study, told Psychiatric News that guidelines recommend that the anxiolytic and insomnia medicines are to be used on a daily basis for no longer than four to six weeks."
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"Benzodiazepine risks, whether short-term or chronic, include cognitive impairment, delirium, respiratory insufficiency, falls, fall-related injuries such as hip fractures, motor vehicle crashes, and death. Most patients are not warned of these risks before starting these medications. The main risk factor for chronic benzodiazepine use is any previous use, so an intended short-duration prescription of these habit-forming medication is likely to lead to their long-term use."
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poster:stan_the_man70
thread:1085037
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20151225/msgs/1085043.html