MINNEAPOLIS — A new study is sounding the alarm for patients taking dozens of common prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Researchers find that taking a particular class of drug, anticholinergics, increases the risk of developing mild thinking and memory problems.
The study shows there are about 100 of these types of drugs in widespread use. These medications treat everything from colds to high blood pressure to depression.
The research, published in the journal Neurology, finds that people with genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are particularly susceptible to these issues. Overall, scientists reveal patients with no cognitive issues are 47 percent more likely to develop a mental impairment if they’re taking at least one anticholinergic drug.
“Our findings suggest that reducing the use of anticholinergic drugs before people develop any cognitive problems may be an important way to prevent the negative consequences of these drugs on thinking skills, especially for people who have an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” study author Lisa Delano-Wood from the University of California, San Diego says in a press release.
How common are anticholinergics?
Researchers say these drugs have a wide range of uses, treating both common health issues and serious diseases. Patients take them for conditions like motion sickness, urinary incontinence, and overactive bladders. Anticholinergics are also prescribed to manage Parkinson’s disease and high blood pressure.
Metoprolol, atenolol, loratadine, and bupropion are among the most common medications in the anticholinergic drug class.
The study examined 688 people with an average age of 74. Researchers report none of the participants had any trouble with thinking or memory at the start of the decade-long review.
Study authors also find that people on anticholinergics are usually taking several of these drugs at once. Overall, one-third of the participants were found to be taking some sort of anticholinergic medication and the average patient was using four to five anticholinergic drugs.
Concerning links to Alzheimer’s disease
The report looks at cognitive tests taken by the group once a year throughout the 10 years. Out of the 230 taking anticholinergic drugs, 117 (51 percent) went on to develop mild cognitive impairments. Among those participants not taking these drugs, only 42 percent would eventually have these problems.
After adjusting for depression, the number of medications taken, and each patient’s history of cardiac problems, study authors arrived at their 47-percent risk determination. They add that higher exposure to anticholinergics increase this risk factor.
When studying human biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, an even greater chance of having cognitive problems emerges. Researchers say people with risk factors for Alzheimer’s in their cerebrospinal fluid are four times more likely to be affected by anticholinergic drugs.
Those with other genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s are 2.5 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairments.
Dosing may be tied to memory problems
Delano-Wood and her team also say the majority of patients are likely taking much higher doses than may be needed for older adults. In fact, the report shows 57 percent take twice the minimum recommended dosage and 18 percent take four times that amount.
“This is of course concerning and is a potential area for improvement that could possibly lead to a reduction in cases of mild cognitive impairment,” says Delano-Wood.
The study notes that the results are limited by the patient sample size and the fact that only a third are taking anticholinergic drugs. Researchers say other studies find the number of older adults taking anticholinergics is actually near 70 percent.
While the results point to possible issues with these medications, study authors recommend patients speak with their doctor or pharmacist before suddenly stopping use of their prescriptions.
Would have been kind of informative to list the drugs you are implicating. OR is that too much information or something.
Your story is totally useless, unless I totally missed it you don’t list what those 100 drugs were. That might just be important.
Living with painful psoriatic arthritis for over 30 years I can relate to this article. Difficult finding which medicine has worst side effects. Frustrating part of life taking medicine that helps and later noticing severe headaches, memory problems. Basically my life is being a test subject for medicines. Only one medicine that helps is opiate pain pills and Tylenol. Nearing a retirement and my body is faster giving up on me. Life with out health problems is best thing person can have.
it would be helpful if the actual drugs were named, as being an average person I know no more now as I did when reading the article. … but now you have instilled fear.
Such a poorly researched article.
“Metoprolol, atenolol, loratadine, and bupropion are among the most common medications in the anticholinergic drug class.”
None of these are anticholinergics. Metoprolol and atenolol are beta blockers that work in the adrenergic nervous system. Loratadine is an antihistamine which does have anticholinergic like side effects. Bupropion is an antidepressant which also has anticholinergic side effects.
Atropine is the prototypical anticholinergic drug.
Consult a pharmacist before writing about drugs. You’re results will be more plausible.
1000 words and specific names of the meds in question…not listed
Who, What, When,Where, Why….this writer needs to get his last
check Friday and clean out his desk
This article does not name medications other than two, but then goes on to say that there are many anticholinergic medications that cause these issues. Without a list of affecting medications, this article is absolutely useless to the common person.
Loratadine, an antihistamine (Claritin), is listed as having anticholinergic properties. It does not.
https://www.medscape.com/answers/812644-79031/which-antihistamines-have-anticholinergic-properties
Our adult son with brain trauma syndrome, and short-term memory loss was prescribed an anticholinergic drug for anxiety. His reaction to a fairly low dose of this medication caused him to become agitated & combative between hours & hours of thrashing in his sleep. He was seemingly unaware of his behavior when he was awake. We are concerned he might lose his life should he continue on this medication – prescribed for anxiety.
So, the way I read the study results of developing mild cognitive impairment in people taking anticholinergics, adjusted for lack of depression, smaller doses…, that there is a 47% risk. And that folks not taking anticholinergics have a 42% risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. A difference of only 5 percentage points, not very risky. Please correct me if that’s wrong. I take one daily at low dose, although I wish my dr would increase it, actually to improve my cognitive function. Without it, I have severe problems from very excessive sleep, balance issues, thinking, talking, walking, being very light headed and on and on. But with the anticholinergic I can actually get up, walk straight, think coherently, and on and on, basically function. So I guess I should weigh having life now or never. Any advice given is very welcomed.
Wow….what an incitefull fact filled article…..the only thing that could possible make it better is to actual list the 100 common drugs…..or did you forget them.
What’s the point of writing an article like this if you don’t include a link to the actual list of drugs that were cited? My first thought in reading this is I wonder if any of the drugs I take are on the list. There is no link to help me answer that question. For that reason, I think the article is pretty worthless.
Article is of no value unless you name the drugs.
Is there a published list of these 100 or so common medications that are this class of drugs? Fo the common person, it would be nice to know if we are taking more than one of these types of medications.
Where is the list?
Where the list of drugs this article focused on ? Pretty useless as a news item.
atropine (Atropen)
belladonna alkaloids
benztropine mesylate (Cogentin)
clidinium
cyclopentolate (Cyclogyl)
darifenacin (Enablex)
dicylomine
fesoterodine (Toviaz)
flavoxate (Urispas)
glycopyrrolate
homatropine hydrobromide
hyoscyamine (Levsinex)
ipratropium (Atrovent)
orphenadrine
oxybutynin (Ditropan XL)
propantheline (Pro-banthine)
scopolamine
methscopolamine
solifenacin (VESIcare)
tiotropium (Spiriva)
tolterodine (Detrol)
trihexyphenidyl
trospium
This story is worthless. No list of the alleged drugs.
What it comes down to is whether to take bad meds or live a few months less. When I hit 68 no more meds!
LIST???