Anticholinergic Drug/antipsychotic medications Exposure leads to a Risk of Dementia by 70%.
- One of the riskiest classes of drugs in this regard are anticholinergic drugs, prescribed for a wide variety of conditions, including depression, incontinence, insomnia, allergies and epilepsy
- Recent research assessing effects of 56 anticholinergics found statistically significant associations between dementia and anticholinergic antidepressants, antiparkinson drugs, antipsychotic drugs, bladder antimuscarinics and antiepileptic drugs
- In the highest exposure group (excess of 1,095 standardized daily doses over the past one to 11 years before diagnosis), the odds ratio for dementia was between 44% and 54%, with an average of 49%; anticholinergic antipsychotics raise risk by 70%
A partial list of medications:
Antidepressant medications: amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep) amoxapine (Asendin) clomipramine (Anafranil) desipramine (Norpramin) doxepin (Silenor) imipramine (Tofranil) nortriptyline (Pamelor) protriptyline (Vivactil) trimipramine (Surmontil)
Muscle relaxants: Amrix; Flexeril, Soma, Robaxin
Respiratory medications: Atrovent, Combivent, Duoneb, Spiriva
Other medications: diphenhydramine (Benadryl) antipsychotics Parkinson’s medications
JAMA Internal Medicine June 24, 2019 [Epub ahead of print]
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