Benzodiazepines and dementai

This article discusses a research study showing that older adults who take certain medications called benzodiazepines (like Valium) are at increased risk of developing dementia. Benzodiazepines are often used for the treatment of sleep difficulties. However, the researchers did not assess for sleep problems in these patients. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause sleep problems and could impact memory. Therefore, the benzodiazepines could be linked to dementia because the patients were taking them for the OSA. Thus, we need more studies to determine if there is a true link between these medications and cognitive disorders.