Study: Pain Pills Don’t Prevent Dementia

Older adults should not take pain relievers as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. Previous studies suggested that the pills might lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. But the new study actually found a higher risk. Researchers used medical records of more than 2,700 people. All were age 65 or older. Some took the pain relievers ibuprofen or naproxen. About 450 people were classified as heavy users at some point during the 12-year study. About 1 out of 6 people in the study developed some type of dementia. But the rate was 66% higher for heavy users than for others. The study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about it April 22.