Use of Benzodiazepines and Risk of Incident Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cumulative benzodiazepine exposure was minimally associated with increased dementia risk as compared to non-use but did not increase in a dose-dependent fashion with higher exposure. Veterans with low benzodiazepine exposure had essentially the equivalent risk of developing dementia as Veterans with high exposure. While benzodiazepines are associated with many side effects for older adults, higher cumulative use does not appear to increase dementia risk.