Over-the-counter drugs linked to cognitive decline and dementia
People often overlook the warnings that come with over-the-counter drugs as they go on the quest to find quick remedies for medical problems ranging from allergies to insomnia.
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine published a new study that offers the most definite proof that anticholinergic drugs are linked with cognitive impairment and an increased risk of dementia.
This class of drugs include medications such as Benadryl, Demerol, Dimetapp, Dramamine, Paxil, Unisom and VESIcare. These are sold over the counter and by prescription as sleep aids and for chronic diseases including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This new study used brain imaging techniques and found lower metabolism and reduced brain sizes among study participants taking anticholinergic drugs. “These findings provide us with a much better understanding of how this class of drugs may act upon the brain in ways that might raise the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia,” said Shannon Risacher, an assistant professor of radiology and imaging sciences.
To identify physical and physiological changes that could be associated with the reported effects, researchers assessed the results of memory and cognitive tests; PET scans, to measure brain metabolism; and MRI scans, to assess brain structure.
The cognitive tests revealed that people taking anticholinergic drugs performed worse on short-term memory tests, as well as on some tests of executive function, including verbal reasoning, planning and problem-solving. Anticholinergic drug users also showed lower levels of glucose metabolism — a biomarker for brain activity — both in the brain overall and in the hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with memory and which has been identified as affected early by Alzheimer’s disease.
“These findings might give us clues to the biological basis for the cognitive problems associated with anticholinergic drugs, but additional studies are needed if we are to truly understand the mechanisms involved,” Risacher said.
A 2013 study by scientists at the Indiana University Center for Aging Research (PDF) found that drugs with a strong anticholinergic effect cause cognitive problems when taken continuously for as few as 60 days. Drugs with a weaker effect could cause impairment within 90 days.
“Given all the research evidence, physicians might want to consider alternatives to anticholinergic medications, if available, when working with their older patients,” Risacher said.
Source: CNN
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
