I have been preaching this to patients for many years, that any purported benefit for long-term use of benzodiazepines such as Ativan, Xanax, and even Ambien are far outweighed, in most cases in my opinion, by risks, in particular dementia and falling and related issues in the elderly.
I frequently get asked to share studies supporting this, so I will do so here. In further posts, I will also share society guidelines that also reflect this ethos.
50% increase in dementia risk among benzodiazepine users:
Falling risk and hip fracture risk both significantly increased as well:
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