![]() Many drugs have a stronger effect on older people than younger people. Look at each one to determine if it’s really helping. This study is another reminder to periodically evaluate all of the drugs you’re taking. It is also the first to eliminate the possibility that people were taking a tricyclic antidepressant to alleviate early symptoms of undiagnosed dementia the risk associated with bladder medications was just as high. The University of Washington study is the first to include nonprescription drugs. It’s not surprising that problems with short-term memory, reasoning, and confusion lead the list of side effects of anticholinergic drugs, which also include drowsiness, dry mouth, urine retention, and constipation. The body’s production of acetylcholine diminishes with age, so blocking its effects can deliver a double whammy to older people. The ACT results add to mounting evidence that anticholinergics aren’t drugs to take long-term if you want to keep a clear head and keep your head clear into old age. Taking an anticholinergic for the equivalent of three years or more was associated with a 54% higher dementia risk than taking the same dose for three months or less. ![]() Moreover, dementia risk increased along with the cumulative dose. When the researchers examined the use of anticholinergic drugs, they found that people who used these drugs were more likely to have developed dementia as those who didn’t use them. During that time, 800 of the volunteers developed dementia. Participants’ health was tracked for an average of seven years. They used Group Health’s pharmacy records to determine all the drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, that each participant took the 10 years before starting the study. What the study found regarding Benadryl and dementiaĪ team led by Shelley Gray, a pharmacist at the University of Washington’s School of Pharmacy, tracked nearly 3,500 men and women ages 65 and older who took part in Adult Changes in Thought (ACT), a long-term study conducted by the University of Washington and Group Health, a Seattle healthcare system. Anticholinergic drugs include some antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants, medications to control overactive bladder, and drugs to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. In the rest of the body, it stimulates muscle contractions. In the brain, acetylcholine is involved in learning and memory. ![]() This substance transmits messages in the nervous system. But we do know that anticholinergic drugs can cause confusion and increase fall risk in older people.Īnticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine. While this study and other observational studies have also found this association, it doesn’t prove that these drugs cause dementia. A report published in JAMA Internal Medicine several years ago highlighted a link between long-term use of anticholinergic medications like Benadryl and dementia.
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