Adults Using Common Drugs Are At A Risk Of Cognitive Impairment, Says Research

Researchers say that drugs commonly prescribed for allergies, hypertension, asthma, and cardiovascular might lead to cognitive impairment in older adults.

Drugs, such as diphenhydramine, which have an anticholinergic effect, are important medical therapies available by prescription and also are sold over the counter.

Common Drugs May Not Benefit Older Patients With Certain Type Of Heart Failure
People over 80 years of age suffering from a certain type of heart failure do not appear to benefit from most commonly prescribed heart medications,

Older adults most commonly use drugs with anticholinergic effects as sleep aids.

"The public, physicians, and even the Food and Drug Administration, need to be made aware of the role of these common medications, and others with anticholinergic effects, in causing cognitive impairment," said senior study author Dr. Malaz Boustani, Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor of medicine.

"Patients should write down and tell their doctor which over-the-counter drugs they are taking.

Common Drugs Slowdown Physical Activities in Elderly: Study
Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that elderly people who take anticholinergics, a commonly prescribed group of drugs for incontinence, allergy or

"Doctors, who often think of these medications simply as antihistamines, antidepressants, antihypertensives, sleep aids or even itching remedies, need to recognize their systemic anticholinergic properties and the fact that they appear to impact brain health negatively," Boustani added.

The researchers analyzed 27 studies of the relationship of anticholinergic effect and brain function as well as investigating anecdotal information and found a strong link between anticholinergic effect and cognitive impairment in older adults.

Cognitive Decline In Elderly - The Outcome Of Common Respiratory Drugs
Most commonly prescribed respiratory and gastrointestinal drugs may lead to cognitive decline in older adults, says reearchers from Yale University.

"Many medications used for several common disease states have anticholinergic effects that are often unrecognized by prescribers" said Wishard Health Services pharmacist, Noll Campbell, Pharm.D., first author of the study, noting that these drugs are among the most frequently purchased over the counter products.

"In fact, 50 percent of the older adult population use a medication with some degree of anticholinergic effect each day," Campbell added.

"Our main message is that older adults and their physicians should have conversations about the benefits and harms of these drugs in relation to brain health," said Dr. Boustani.

The study appears in Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging.

Source-ANI
ARU