A study has linked commonly used medicines, including over-the-counter treatments for conditions such as insomnia and hay-fever, to dementia. All of the types of medication in question are drugs that have an “anti-cholinergic” effect.
Experts say people should not panic or stop taking their medicines.
In the US study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, higher doses and prolonged use were linked to higher dementia risk in elderly people.
All medicines can have side-effects and anti-cholinergic-type drugs that block a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine are no exception. Patient information leaflets accompanying such drugs warn of the possibility of reduced attention span and memory problems as well as a dry mouth.
But researchers say people should also be aware that they may be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.
Dr Shelly Gray and colleagues from the University of Washington followed the health of 3,434 people aged 65 and older who had no signs of dementia at the start of the study, says bbcnews online.
They looked at medical and pharmacy records to determine how many of the people had been given a drug with an anti-cholinergic effect, at what dose and how often and compared this data with subsequent dementia diagnoses over the next decade.
The most commonly used anti-cholinergic-type drugs were medicines for treating depression, antihistamines for allergies such as hay-fever or to aid sleep/promote drowsiness, and drugs to treat urinary incontinence. Nearly one-fifth were drugs that had been bought over the counter.
Over the course of the study, 797 of the participants developed dementia.
The study estimated that people taking at least 10 mg/day of doxepin (antidepressant), four mg/day of diphenhydramine (a sleep aid), or five mg/day of oxybutynin (a urinary incontinence drug) for more than three years would be at greater risk of developing dementia.
Precautionary Approach
The researchers say doctors and pharmacists might want to take a precautionary approach and offer different treatments instead. And when there is no alternative, they could give the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.
Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the study was interesting but not definitive - there was, he said, no evidence that these drugs cause dementia.
Dr Doug Brown, from the UK’s Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There have been concerns that regular use by older people of certain medications with anti-cholinergic effects, such as sleep aids and hay-fever treatments, can increase the risk of dementia in certain circumstances, which this study supports. “We would encourage doctors and pharmacists to be aware of this potential link and would advise anyone concerned about this to speak to their GP before stopping any medication.”
