'Some sleeping pills may increase Alzheimer's risk'

Regular use of benzodiazepines, a class of drugs commonly prescribed to treat insomnia and anxiety, may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study.

The risk increase was similar with both benzodiazepines and related Z drugs, said researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

Even though the increased risk for Alzheimer's disease was small, the threshold for prescribing benzodiazepines and related drugs should be high enough due to their several adverse effects and events, such as falls, they said.

These medications are commonly used for sleep problems, but their effectiveness for this indication diminishes over weeks or months.

However, the risk of adverse events remains in longer-term use, according to the results published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

The study cohort included 70,719 persons from Finnish community with newly diagnosed Alzheimer's disease in 2005-2011.

Many chronic disorders, substance abuse, socioeconomical position and use of antidepressants and antipsychotics were taken into account.