Do Anxiety Pills Have a Dark Side? Research Reveals Dementia Risks

Research at Saint Louis University School of Medicine highlights a significant association between anxiety and an increased risk of dementia in seniors, with benzodiazepine exposure further elevating this risk by 28%.

Research from Saint Louis University School of Medicine finds that among patients 65 and older, a diagnosis of anxiety was significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia diagnosis, and benzodiazepine exposure was associated with a 28% increased risk of dementia. However, when benzodiazepines were prescribed to patients with an anxiety disorder, there was no significant association between these medications and incident dementia.

The study, “Anxiety Disorders, Benzodiazepine Prescription and Incident Dementia,” was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.