Long-term use of opioid does not increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease

A new report shows that long-term use of effective painkillers does not increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

According to a recent international study, the long-term use of opioids, an effective pain reliever in the nervous system, does not increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers from Eastern Finland University did not see any risk at all, as well as any long-term effects, or accumulation of pathogens .

The group of scientists said that this study is one of the most extensive research on this topic to date.

The team conducted a MEDALZ study based on a nationwide voluntary registration that included 70,718 people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in Finland during 2005-2011, as well as 282,862 people with ongoing disease control. .

Previously, the use of opioids may also lead to addiction or tolerance of analgesic effects.

Opioid modalities and efficacy were compared between the Finnish and Alzheimer's disease and the non-drug control people.

A previous study from the United States reported an association between high opioid doses and an increased risk of dementia, but the Finnish study did not confirm this result.

However, there are some side effects associated with opioid use such as drowsiness and reduced alertness and therefore, the use of opioids should be limited to the most painful cases.

This research has just appeared in Pain Medicine magazine.