A recent study has suggested that prescription drugs taken by two million Brits increase the risk of dementia by up to a third. Wow!! That is alarming. Let's see what they say.
Researchers fear that medicines used to treat depression, incontinence, and Parkinson's disease have left 20000 Brits with the brain-wasting disease. They are warning doctors not to dish out anticholinergics.
Academics from the University of East Anglia compared medical records of 40,770 pensioners who were diagnosed with dementia with 283,933 who were not. Those who had taken the drugs for a year were more likely to develop dementia over the next two decades.
Professor Chris Fox, from the University, said: "doctors and patients should be vigilant about using anticholinergic medications. They need to consider the risk of long-term cognitive effects, as well as short-term effects, associated with specific drugs when weighing up risks and benefits."
The drugs work by blocking a chemical which controls muscle movement. It is not know why they may cause dementia. It is reported that one in five people in the UK who are using antidepressants are being prescribed anticholinergics.
If you feel you have any concerns after reading this research then do speak to your doctor about it.
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