Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk
Studies show that those who use these drugs have up to a 36 percent higher risk of dementia.
Right now, an estimated 6.9 million seniors in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. As the population ages, this number is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades to 13 million cases by 2050.
While other factors, such as age, genetics, and lifestyle, contribute greatly to your dementia risk, emerging research suggests that the medications you take may also play a role. For example, long-term use of anticholinergic drugs—commonly prescribed for conditions like depression, allergies, and bladder control—has been linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline. Conversely, some medications that manage cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering drugs, may help reduce dementia risk by supporting brain health.
Now, another common drug that may be in your medicine is linked to an increased dementia risk.
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Proton Pump Inhibitors may be linked to dementia.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one such drug that some researchers believe could be linked to a heightened risk of dementia. An effective therapy used to suppress stomach acid, PPIs are a popular treatment for conditions like heartburn, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Common PPIs include Omeprazole (Prilosec), Esomeprazole (Nexium), and Lansoprazole (Prevacid).
In particular, a large Danish study has found that among people who were diagnosed with dementia between the ages of 60 and 69, those who used PPIs had a 36 percent higher risk compared to non-users. This risk declined between the ages of 70 and 89, and no significant increase was observed in individuals diagnosed at 90 or older.
Importantly, the increased risk was observed regardless of how long before diagnosis the patient took PPIs—even when treatment was initiated more than 15 years before the dementia diagnosis. Longer durations of PPI use were associated with progressively higher dementia risks.
The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, analyzed health data from nearly two million individuals aged 60 to 75 between 2000 and 2018. Over the median follow-up period of 10 years, more than 99,000 people were diagnosed with dementia.
While the study stopped short of confirming a direct causal relationship, the results suggest that age at diagnosis significantly affects the association between PPI use and dementia risk. The authors propose that midlife use of PPIs may influence long-term cognitive health, possibly due to their impact on brain function and the buildup of beta-amyloid, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The findings raise important questions about long-term use of these widely prescribed drugs.
This was not the only study to suggest that PPIs could increase dementia risk: Another 2023 study, published in the journal Neurology, roughly corroborates these alarming numbers. That team of researchers found that subjects who used PPIs for more than 4.4 cumulative years were at a 33 percent higher risk of developing dementia than those who did not report their use. Patients who took PPIs for shorter durations were not at heightened risk.
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PPIs are also associated with a range of neurological and other symptoms.
According to a 2019 study published in the journal Scientific Reports, PPIs can pass through the blood-brain barrier, causing a range of neurological symptoms. In fact, the researchers analyzed over 10 million Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System reports, including over 40,000 reports containing PPIs, and found that people taking PPIs had increased odds of memory impairment compared to a control group taking histamine-2 receptor antagonists.
Additionally, the team determined that PPI use was linked with migraine, peripheral neuropathies (conditions affecting the nerves outside of the spinal cord or brain), and visual and auditory neurosensory abnormalities.
In addition to these neurological concerns, experts from Yale Medicine note that long-term use of PPIs has been linked to cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, bone fractures, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and more.
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PPIs may be overprescribed.
Though proton pump inhibitors are generally considered safe for use, some experts have criticized the frequency with which they are prescribed, especially considering their potential side effects. Many argue that they are overused and often deployed without a valid indication for their use.
Calling it “an important public health matter,” the authors of the Alzheimer’s & Dementia study note that more research on the link between PPI use and dementia risk is crucial, especially “in the context of PPIs being among the most prescribed drugs worldwide and with high prevalence of inappropriate use.” In other words, if you’ve been prescribed PPIs, now is a good time to check in with your doctor about side effects and long-term use, or any other concerns you may have about your treatment.
