Stroke risk for Alzheimer's patients using certain tranquilizers, says Finnish study

16 January 2017

The use of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like drugs increased the risk of stroke among people with Alzheimer’s disease by 20%, shows a study from the University of Eastern Finland.

Benzodiazepines – a class of tranquilizers – include some of the most commonly-prescribed drugs in the USA such as diazepam, often known by Roche’s (ROG: SIX) name Valium, and alprazolam, which goes by the brand name Xanax.

The use of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like drugs was associated with an increased risk of any stroke and ischemic stroke, the report showed, whereas the association with hemorrhagic stroke was not significant.

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