Common drugs that increase the risk of dementia, according to experts

According to doctors, there are some common medications which, if taken for a long time, can increase the risk of dementia and other cognitive symptoms. Experts say that dementia — a syndrome that destroys nerve cells and damages the brain — typically involves a decline in cognitive function or the ability to process thinking, which is expected from the normal results of biological aging. Might be possible. Read further to know what these medicines are.

Doctors say at least five drugs are linked to cognitive decline because they typically affect your brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Dementia and other cognitive decline conditions are devastating not only for those affected but also for their friends and family. According to experts, for most forms of dementia, there is no highly effective treatment, and you can only manage the symptoms. However, there are some medications that increase the risk of those affected having their memories and independence stolen.

Doctors say at least five drugs are linked to cognitive decline because they cross the blood-brain barrier to normally affect your brain. These are:

antihistamines

Antihistamines, which contain the active ingredient diphenhydramine, which are used to treat allergies, can rapidly increase the risk of dementia. According to doctors, over-the-counter Antihistamines cause drowsiness And many people also take them as sleep aids.

Doctors say that using this drug regularly can be bad for your brain, apart from overall deterioration in your health.

The American Geriatrics Society listed diphenhydramine – a form of antihistamine – in a 2019 report of medications potentially inappropriate for older adults due to the risk of side effects. Some of these include:

Confusion
blurred vision
constipation
Dizziness
drowsiness
dry mouth
Tiredness
urinary retention

In older people, medications that increase cognitive and mobility impairments also increase the risk of falls or accidents.

opiates

Opiates are common pain relievers Which are prescribed after surgery, injury or for cancer patients. While it works like morphine for your brain, doctors say its long-term effects include unconsciousness, which causes dementia.

Studies say that opium users have a 15 percent higher risk of developing dementia.

heartburn medicine

Apart from the first two, another common drug that increases the risk of dementia includes omeprazole—a drug used to treat digestive problems like heartburn. Doctors say it’s OK to take the drug from time to time, but taking omeprazole regularly can increase the amount of beta-amyloid in your brain—one of the main causes of cognitive decline and early-onset dementia. .

It works as a proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, to reduce the acid inside your stomach.

benzodiazepines

Doctors say that even though the link between benzodiazepines and dementia is not clear, studies suggest an association with a 50 percent increase in the risk of dementia as well as Alzheimer’s disease.

Common benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax are commonly used to treat symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and even seizures. These are prescribed medications, but long-term use can have serious effects on your brain.

Experts say the drug reaches your central nervous system directly and numbs the entire brain, helping reduce anxiety and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but can also induce dementia in the long run.

antidepressant

According to doctors, some antidepressant medications can also trigger dementia. Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline – which are also prescribed for pain and to help sleep – cause confusion and increase people’s risk of falling.

In a study published in the British Medical Journal in 2018, researchers examined the GP records of more than 40,000 people aged 65 and over with dementia and almost 300,000 people without dementia. To see if there was any association between these drugs and later dementia diagnoses, they studied prescribing data going back 20 years.

The results showed that people who had taken the drugs four to 20 years earlier were more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

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