Posted by SLS on December 31, 2015, at 7:16:02
In reply to Long-Term Use of Benzodiazepines May Be Linked to, posted by stan_the_man70 on December 30, 2015, at 11:58:22
From the article you cited, here is the study the author used to support his thesis:
http://www.behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bmj.g5205-billioti-ALZ.pdf
I thought study was well done. In the abstract conclusions, the authors wrote the following:
"Conclusion:
Benzodiazepine 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."
At this point, the author is properly describing that correlation does not imply causation, and such a causal relationship cannot yet be established. Very simply, a subpopulation of people who go on to develop Alzheimer's might exhibit a biomarker in the form of a syndrome that is usually treated with benzodiazepines. So, with or without the drugs, this population would develop Alzheimer's at the elevated rate, regardless.
Personally, I find the rest of the article that relies on the study to be biased in its presentation and placed in a publication with a bias against the use of psychotropic drugs. It is more opinion and editorial scientific study. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
My intuition (for as little as that is worth) tells me that chronic long-term use of benzodiazepines produces a measurable difference in cognitive and memory function. However, I doubt that these things are very noticeable to the person taking the drug. More pronounced cognitive deficits might, instead, be the symptoms of the illnesses being treated and represent biomarkers for the eventual induction of Alzheimer's. I haven't read anything that addresses the extent to which there is a recovery of function once the benzodiazepines are discontinued.
Risk versus benefit needs to be evaluated for each case.
One in nine people age 65 and older (11 percent) has Alzheimers disease. When benzodiazepines are added into the mix, this increases to 17 percent.
One might alternatively interpret this as saying that when anxiety and depressive disorders are added into the mix, this increases to 17 percent.
I haven't given it much thought, but do you have a strategy to replace the use of benzodiazepines?
I found this interesting:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617703000969
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1085037
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20151225/msgs/1085061.html