There are only two countries in the world that allow TV commercials of pharmaceutical drugs with product claims. The U.S. is one of them. So, it’s no surprise that for many Americans, prescription pills are a part of their daily routine. Although these meds can make you feel better, they also come with a long list of unwanted side effects.
In a recent study published in Neurology, a widely prescribed type of medication called “anticholinergic” have been linked to dementia. This is particularly concerning because these are widely prescribed for allergies, high blood pressure, urinary incontinence, depression, colds, and other medical conditions. Some of these drugs are even sold over-the-counter with no need for a doctor’s prescription.
The researchers from the University of California, San Diego has found that all of these anticholinergic drugs can lead to significant degrees of memory loss and cognitive decline over long periods of time. The link is particularly strong in people who have genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease or markers of this condition.
Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
The study included 688 people at an average age of 74 years and took place over a period of 10 years. The participants were asked if they had taken any anticholinergic drugs within the last three months before the start of the study or at least once a week for more than 6 months. After the start of the study, the participants took cognitive tests every year.
According to the end results, about a third of all participants had taken at least one type of anticholinrgic drug up to an average of 4.7 such drugs per person. The most common drugs were loratadine, metoprolol, atenolol, and bupropion.
At the end of the study, “cognitively normal” people were found to be 47% more likely to develop a mild cognitive impairment if they had taken at least one anticholinergic drug. Such mild impairments are a significant precursor to dementia and Alzheimer’s.
What’s more, the study found that people who already had biomarkers for Alzheimer’s were even more affected by the anticholinergic drugs than “cognitively normal” people – four times more likely, to be precise. For people with genetic risks of Alzheimer’s, the risk had increased by a factor of 2.5 times.
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