Dementia risk 'increased' by taking commonly-prescribed drugs, says study
Mark Topps
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Health experts have issued a stark warning about commonly-prescribed drugs after bombshell research revealed links to dementia.
Researchers at the 英国诺丁汉大学 discovered that anticholinergic drug (a class of drugs that block acetylcholine, a chemical messenger in the brain and body). They are used to treat a number of conditions, including depression, Parkinson's disease, overactive bladder, and motion sickness have been linked to almost a 50% increased risk of dementia among patients aged 55 and over.
Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer's Society , warned that "long-term, high-dose use" of the drugs was linked to dementia. The increase was found among those who used strong anticholinergic medication daily for more than three years.
According to the study, funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) , the most concerning findings were linked to antidepressants, bladder antimuscarinic drugs, anti-Parkinson drugs and epilepsy drugs. Dr Pickett said: “Our own researchers have already shown a strong link between anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia. SurreyLive reports this study builds on this information, showing that long-term, high-dose use increases risk of some dementias, particularly vascular dementia.
“A shortcoming of this type of study is that from this information we can’t rule out whether the diseases that cause dementia might have already begun in the brains of people involved before they started taking these drugs.
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Current guidelines for doctors say that anticholinergic drugs should be avoided for frail older people because of their impact on memory and thinking, but doctors should consider these new findings for all middle aged and older people as long-term use could raise the risk of dementia.”
Professor Tom Dening, Head of the Centre for Dementia at the University of Nottingham and a member of the research study team, said: "This study provides further evidence that doctors should be careful when prescribing certain drugs that have anticholinergic properties.
"However, it’s important that patients taking medications of this kind don’t just stop them abruptly as this may be much more harmful. If patients have concerns, then they should discuss them with their doctor to consider the pros and cons of the treatment they are receiving.”
The 58,769 patients with dementia had an average age of 82 and 63% were women. Each dementia case was matched to five control patients of the same age, sex, and general practice. Professor Coupland said: “Our study adds further evidence of the potential risks associated with strong anticholinergic drugs, particularly antidepressants, bladder antimuscarinic drugs, anti-Parkinson drugs and epilepsy drugs.
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3 周What are relief. As a mother of four natural deliveries, rather than pelvic floor exercise, to correct overreactive bladder I was put on bladder antimuscarinic medication. I didn’t take them. I received a call from my pharmacist a week ago. Asking me about how was it going? I told him that I am not taking them. The good thing is I was referred to a wonderful physiotherapist. She listened to me explaining what I was experiencing. Is this not what the Person Centred approach is all about. Listening to the patient experience. Provide information. Both make decision. Positive outcome. Once I started my pelvic floor exercises I seems to be disappearing. I’m so happy to be honest about doing the exercises and if it doesn’t work. Then I will think about medication. Thank you very much for sharing this information.
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3 周Thanks Mark. All drugs unfortunately have side-effects. Something that might be fixing one problem can easily be causing another, so it's important that this is more widely understood.