Painkillers do not prevent Alzheimers

Jacksonville - A new study has proven that painkillers do not prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease as was previously believed. It has been found that elderly people taking painkillers are actually more likely to develop dementia.

This study, published in Neurology, was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, located in Seattle.

Dr. John Beitner led the study of almost 3,000 individuals around the age of 75 that had no dementia when the study began.

Of the near-3,000 people involved in the study, 351 said they had a history of heavy use of painkillers at the beginning of the study. 107 additional people became heavy users of painkillers during the follow-up period. “Heavy use” was defined as being on prescribed painkillers at least 68% of the time over a two-year period.

Over the twelve year course of the entire study it was found that the risk of developing dementia was actually 66% higher for the individuals taking painkillers, not lower. This number was adjusted to account for individuals with certain medical conditions and other factors.

This new study is in direct contradiction to previous reports that painkillers could help people that are at risk of developing the disease. It was believed that ibuprofen and naproxen could delay the progression of Alzheimer’s or even prevent it completely. Doctors previously believed that painkillers would reduce inflammation in the brain, which they thought was linked to the disease.

It now turns out that these non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) have the opposite effect that doctors thought. This new finding dashes the high hopes many had that NSAIDS could provide a means of warding off the debilitating disease Alzheimer’s and many other dementia illnesses. The best ways to fight the development of dementia remain regular exercise, not smoking, and lowering blood pressure.