Recent reports have linked two common classes of drugs to dementia. Fortunately, there are alternatives to both.
14 June 2018
HARVARD HEALTH PUBLISHING — If you’re worried about developing dementia, you’ve probably memorized the list of things you should do to minimize your risk — eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, and keeping your mind and soul engaged. In addition, some of the drugs you may be taking to help you accomplish those things could increase your risk of dementia. In two separate large population studies, both benzodiazepines (a category that includes medications for anxiety and sleeping pills) and anticholinergics (a group that encompasses medications for allergies and colds, depression, high blood pressure, and incontinence) were associated with an increased risk of dementia in people who used them for longer than a few months. In both cases, the effect increased with the dose of the drug and the duration of use.
These findings didn’t come entirely as a surprise to doctors who treat older people. “The Beer’s List published by the American Geriatrics Society has long recognized benzodiazepines, antihistamines, and tricyclic antidepressants as potentially inappropriate for older adults, given their side effects,” says Dr. Lauren J. Gleason, a physician in the Division of Aging at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Such drugs are on the list because they share troubling side effects — confusion, clouded thinking, and memory lapses — that can lead to falls, fractures, and auto accidents.
What the studies found
It’s important to note that neither of these studies was a randomized controlled clinical trial, so neither proved that either type of drug causes dementia. […]
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