Dementia Risk From Common Meds?

When people are taking a medication they are usually doing it with the intent to correct a health problem or concern. While there may frequently be safer and less stressful ways to improve one’s health, sometimes pharmaceutical intervention may be necessary if a condition has become out of control and needs immediate attention. But the last thing that anyone wants is to take a medicine to correct one problem and then have it cause another. Side effects from medications are probably one of the biggest reason not to take them and research continues to support this belief. Case in point, a new study has found that medicines taken commonly for conditions such as depression, asthma and allergies may raise the risk for dementia later in life.

The research was performed at the Indiana University School of Medicine and looked at the brains of 451 men and women, 60 of whom were taking one or more anticholinergic medicines. Study participants took the medicines on average for about 7 years. Anticholinergics work by blocking a brain chemical called acetylcholine, which is crucial for memory. They can be found in medicines ranging from Benadryl to Dramamine to Paxil and about 100 different drugs were evaluated in the study.

The conclusions from the research were that was that the brains of those people taking the medicine did not work as well as the brains of those not taking them and that there was an increased risk of getting dementia over time. While it was not a direct cause and effect link, there was a strong correlation between taking the drugs and development of the dementia. Overall, the researchers found that those on the medicines were ''four times more likely to develop either mild cognitive impairment [which often develops into dementia] or dementia'' than those not taking the medicines. The brain problems developed over a time frame ranging from 6 months to about 8 years. Older adults who took the drugs had poorer thinking skills than those not taking them and their brains were also smaller, especially in the areas important for memory and other thinking skills.

While the individual conditions that the various medications were taken for would still need to be addressed, there is always opportunity to help support the body naturally to decrease the risk of developing health conditions in the first place. Supporting brain health by ensuring that optimal levels of essential fatty acids are consumed daily is a good place to start with the diet, as is limiting foods that promote inflammation such as sugars and grains. Avoiding aluminum, whether it be from leaching from metal cookware or foil or absorbed externally through the skin, can help limit exposure to a substance linked to dementia. And something as simple as getting adequate sleep every night when your brain goes through its detoxification processes will prevent you from hindering a necessary recovery mechanism. All easy steps that could help keep you thinking sharp for years to come.