A new source of dementia has emerged. Find out how you can easily avoid it

Warning: These five little letters could spell dementia

You might be using a “benzo” drug and never know it.

But taking a drug in that class could mean the difference between falling victim to dementia or not.

So it’s critical you understand the insipid risk these drugs pose to your brain.

The mind reels

Benzo is benzodiazepine. Sleep aids, painkillers, and anti-psychotic drugs are in this group. Some of the big boys you probably know are Valium, Xanax, Klonopin and many others.

They’re “psychoactive.” And that means seniors should stay as far from them as possible. That’s because drugs like this let loose side effects that mimic dementia symptoms. But it isn’t just mimicry.

In some cases, symptoms from psychoactive drugs can be reversed. Even patients with history of dementia sometimes improve significantly when they stop their meds.

But it’s a much different story with benzodiazepines.

In new research, long-term benzo use sharply increased risk of dementia in people 65 and older. And these weren’t cases of reversible symptoms. This was the real thing. Dementia in all its horror.

And what makes it so much worse is that these drugs can be addictive. That’s clearly a huge part of the problem.

Guidelines suggest that use be limited to just a few weeks. But many people take them for years. That’s why the study offers this advice… “Indiscriminate widespread use should be cautioned against.”

Too bad that note is buried in a medical journal! They should be printing it in bright red, two-inch-high letters on every benzo bottle…

“MAY CAUSE DEMENTIA!”

That might get the message through.

If you use a benzo drug — or are taking a drug that falls into one the categories I listed, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about finding another option now — before it’s too late.

Sources:
“Benzodiazepine use and risk of dementia: prospective population based study” British Medical Journal, Vol. 345, 9/27/12, bmj.com