Common Meds Linked To Higher Dementia Risk

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Fri Jun 25, 2021, 12:56 PM - Edit history (2)

- 'Common Meds Linked to Higher Dementia Risk,' AARP, June 23, 2021.

Could the drug you take for insomnia, depression or bladder problems put you at greater risk for mental decline, or even dementia? For the past decade, a growing number of studies have raised red flags about a common class of medications — called anticholinergics — that are frequently used by older adults.

These drugs, available both over the counter and by prescription, are used for a wide range of disorders, from hay fever and sleep problems to overactive bladder and Parkinson’s disease. Find out which sleep medications may affect your memory. Check out this Staying Sharp story on whether these drugs are *bad for your brain. There’s a long list of medications included in the anticholinergic group — one estimate put it at 600 drugs — but some of the most common ones are:

- old-school antihistamines like Benadryl (diphenhydramine); sleep aid drugs like Nytol & Tylenol PM, which contain diphenhydramine; certain antidepressants like Paxil (paroxetine) & Elavil (amitriptyline); overactive bladder meds like oxybutynin (Ditropan XL & Oxytrol).

Anticholinergic drugs work by blocking a natural chemical in the brain, called acetylcholine, which helps different types of cells communicate with each other. It’s important for heart rate and certain muscle contractions, & it’s also vital for memory & learning, which is why taking these drugs may interfere with thinking ability. Recent studies now indicate that regularly taking more than one anticholinergic drug, or taking a high dose for a long period, is linked to a higher likelihood of dementia in older adults.

And a new study finds that these drugs have a greater effect in those who are already at increased risk for Alzheimer’s...

https://news.yahoo.com/common-meds-linked-higher-dementia-142333315.html

[lark]

1. Well damn, the article is behind a paywall so I can't review the list.

I don't take the ones listed, but those are just a handful of the 600.

If anyone can see it, is Linsinipril, Famotidine, Pantaproazle or Sulfracate on the list? These are the drugs I've taken over the past years-now. I'm having some memory issues. Last month I quit both Famotidine and Pantaproazle because of their potential cancer and dementia issues. I was switching them out before, now trying Sulracate and it seems to be working after a couple of days. Had a EGD & biopsy and it was clear of cancer, yay.

I sure hope Linsinipril isn't on it, I have trouble with blood pressure meds and major dizziness but do ok with the Linsinipril and blood pressure is excellent now.

[appalachiablue]

2. You could try googling the meds names

with 'dementia risk' and see if there's any info. from reputable sources. Also check with your physician and pharmacist maybe. I didn't realize the links were for subscribers, surprising. I'll remove them from the article.

- *Lisinopril is fairly widely used, so if there are issues it seems it would be in the brief list of meds noted in the article.

Glad your blood pressure is fine now and you're doing well health-wise.
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Here's an NIH report (2008) on *Hypotension- Low BP, (& Hypertension) and vascular dementia. I'm not a doctor or health professional and can't give advice.
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- Report: NIH, Risk factors for vascular dementia: Hypotension as a key point.

Abstract: Physiologically, the cerebral autoregulation system allows maintenance of constant cerebral blood flow over a wide range of blood pressure. In old people, there is a progressive reshape of cerebral autoregulation from a sigmoid curve to a straight line. This implies that any abrupt change in blood pressure will result in a rapid and significant change in cerebral blood flow.

Hypertension has often been observed to be a risk factor for vascular dementia (VaD) and sometimes for Alzheimer disease although not always. Indeed, high blood pressure may accelerate cerebral white matter lesions, but white matter lesions have been found to be facilitated by excessive fall in blood pressure, including orthostatic dysregulation and postprandial hypotension.

Many recent studies observed among other data, that there was a correlation between systolic pressure reduction and cognitive decline in women, which was not accounted for by other factors. Baseline blood pressure level was not significantly related to cognitive decline with initial good cognition. Some researchers speculate that blood pressure reduction might be an early change of the dementing process. The most confounding factor is that low pressure by itself might be a predictor of death; nevertheless, the effect of low blood pressure on cognition is underestimated because of a survival bias.

Another explanation is that clinically unrecognized vascular lesions in the brain or atherosclerosis are responsible for both cognitive decline and blood pressure reduction. We discuss the entire process, and try to define a possible mechanism that is able to explain the dynamic by which hypotension might be related to dementia.

Keywords: vascular dementia, hypotension, low blood pressure, alzheimer disease. As longevity increases worldwide, age-related dementias are burgeoning...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2496988/