Even though the increased risk for Alzheimer's disease was small in this study the threshold for prescribing benzodiazepines and related drugs should be high enough due to their several adverse effects and events such as falls said researchers from the University of Eastern Finland. These medications are commonly used for sleep problems but their effectiveness for this indication diminishes over weeks or months. However the risk of adverse events remains in longer-term use. The results published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica showed that the risk increase was similar with both benzodiazepines and Z drugs regardless of their half-life. The study included
