Popular Heartburn Medications That Can Increase Your Risk Of Dementia

Dementia may not be a major concern when you're young, but it becomes more relevant in middle age. What's scary? A 2025 study in Nature Medicine found that adults over 55 have a 42% lifetime risk of developing dementia. That risk can climb to as high as 60% for people who are Black, female, or carry the Alzheimer's-linked APOE ε4 gene. The number of new dementia cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. is projected to steadily increase, reaching around 1 million new dementia diagnoses by 2060.

As you age, you may also develop other health conditions that can increase your risk of dementia, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression. You may also take more medications, and some of these have been linked to a higher risk of dementia.

For example, older adults often take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to relieve symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, a 2016 study in JAMA Neurology found an association between PPI use and dementia. After tracking the health of more than 73,000 people over age 75 for about seven years, researchers found that taking PPIs was linked to a 44% higher risk of dementia. This doesn't mean PPIs cause dementia, but there may be other factors that help explain the connection.

Some researchers believe Alzheimer's disease is caused by the excessive buildup of beta-amyloid proteins, which form plaques in brain cells. A 2013 study in PLoS One examined how the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) lansoprazole affects brain cells in mice. In both mice and lab-grown cells, lansoprazole increased the production of beta-amyloid proteins—especially the types most strongly linked to Alzheimer's.

Older adults may also develop nutritional deficiencies due to reduced appetite and the side effects of medications, which can interfere with nutrient absorption. One such nutrient is vitamin B12. A 2023 meta-analysis in Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology found that people who take PPIs were 42% more likely to have a mild vitamin B12 deficiency. This deficiency has been linked to cognitive decline and various types of dementia. In fact, a 2022 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's disease found that people with dementia had lower levels of vitamin B12. (Here's what to eat to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's.)

Before you quit taking your PPIs, it's important to consider other factors. A 2023 review in Touch Neurology said that vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, and Helicobacter pylori infection may influence the apparent connection between PPIs and dementia. Additionally, a 2021 meta-analysis in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, which analyzed data from 17 studies involving over a million people, found no evidence that PPIs increase the risk of dementia.

As more dementia research emerges, some studies are finding that medications beyond PPIs may also be linked to an increased risk of the disease, according to a 2025 review in Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. Although hundreds of medications have been studied, drugs such as laxatives, anticonvulsants, pain relievers, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and medications for nausea and vertigo have shown possible associations with a higher dementia risk. However, the results across studies have been inconsistent, and it's possible that the underlying condition being treated rather than the medication itself may contribute to this risk. 

(You can predict your risk of dementia using a new tool.)

While some newer drugs aim to reduce beta-amyloid plaques in early Alzheimer's, growing evidence suggests that dementia is a complex disease involving multiple biological pathways. In other words, effectively treating different types of dementia requires a deeper understanding of how these diseases develop and progress. Some medications used to treat other conditions may actually help lower dementia risk. For example, medications to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity may reduce your dementia risk. Some antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and vaccines are also linked to a lower risk of dementia.