Anxiety and Sleep Medications May Increase ALS Risk Up to 34 Percent
People taking common anxiety medications and sleep aids may be significantly more likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a major new Swedish study, which also found that some psychiatric drugs increased the risk by more than one-third.
While the findings don't prove these widely-prescribed medications directly cause ALS, an incurable muscle-wasting condition that gradually erodes patients' ability to move, talk, or eat, they raise questions about long-term monitoring for the millions of people who rely on psychiatric drugs worldwide, according to the authors.
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