![]() Once the groups were set, the researchers looked at the drug prescriptions during the five to six years preceding the Alzheimer's diagnosis. They randomly selected more than 7,000 others without Alzheimer's who were matched for age and sex to those with the disease. From it, they identified nearly 2,000 men and women over age 66 who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers relied on a database maintained by the Quebec health insurance program. In the study, the greater people's cumulative dose of benzodiazepines, the higher their risk. A team of researchers from France and Canada linked benzodiazepine use to an increased risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. For people who took anticholinergic bladder medications, the increased risk was just as high as for those taking tricyclic antidepressants, which are also anticholinergics. It is also the first to eliminate the possibility that people were taking the drugs to alleviate early symptoms of undiagnosed dementia. The University of Washington study is the first to include nonprescription drugs. Taking an anticholinergic for the equivalent of three years or more was associated with a 54% higher dementia risk than taking the same dose for three months or less. Moreover, dementia risk increased along with the cumulative dose. When the researchers examined medication use, they found that people who used anticholinergic drugs were more likely to have developed dementia than those who didn't use them. During that time, 800 of them developed dementia. Participants' health was tracked for an average of seven years. ![]() They used Group Health's pharmacy records to determine all the drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, that each participant took in the 10 years before starting the study. ![]() Researchers tracked nearly 3,500 men and women ages 65 or older who took part in Adult Changes in Thought (ACT), a long-term study conducted by the University of Washington and Group Health, a Seattle health care system. 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. 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. 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. These findings didn't come entirely as a surprise to doctors who treat older people. In both cases, the effect increased with the dose of the drug and the duration of use. 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 addition, some of the drugs you may be taking to help you accomplish those things could increase your risk of dementia. 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. Fortunately, there are alternatives to both. Two common classes of drugs have been linked to dementia.
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