A drug to sleep very prescribed after 60 years could increase the risk of dementia by 60 % in seniors, according to Inserm data. The ANSM alerts to their prolonged use and advocates non -drug alternatives to preserve memory.
Feel exhausted and seek restful sleep hasalmost 60 years old seems natural. However, a medication prescribed to help sleep could make you lose your memory, this is what a health alert launched in France in France. ANSM warns on the prolonged use of a type of benzodiazepine among seniors.
These drugs are often prescribed to calm anxiety or fight severe insomnia in those over 65. But the agency indicates that “These drugs are not without risk” and that “in the elderly, they can also be the cause of other types of serious undesirable effects such as falls and cognitive disorders“.
Why are the benzodiazepines problem after 60 years?
In a campaign launched on April 10, ANSM Alert on too long prescriptions among seniors, often beyond recommended durations (3 weeks for insomnia, 12 weeks for anxiety) for molecules marketed since The 1960s. And it emerges that, Benzodiazepines are indeed very prescribed for over 65, reports the Journal des Femmes.
The study conducted by Inserm specialists followed 8 240 people aged more than 65 ans For more than eight years. Among them, 830 have developed dementia. The authors note that the long half -life benzodiazepines (more than 20 hours in the body) are associated with a risk of dementia increased by 60 %.
Christophe Tzourio, neurologist and co -author of the Inserm Research Center, says:“There is clearly a signal difference between benzodiazepines with a long lifespan and those for short duration. However, the first have already been identified as dangerous in the elderly, especially due to the risk of falls, and we were surprised to see that they were still frequently consumed”.
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What alternatives to benzodiazepines after 60 years?
Facing these risksthe study highly recommends prudence: “Our results suggest at least a reinforced vigilance of all, in particular doctors and health authorities, to avoid this consumption of long -semi -life benzodiazepines in the elderly.”
Other non -drug tracks are offered: regular physical activity, limitation of naps, decrease in light or sound nuisances and consultation with the doctor or pharmacist to explore other solutions. ANSM also insists: the benzodiazepines must remain “temporary help”, and never be associated with each other in order to limit the cumulative effect of risks.
