Doctor warns about five common medications that can cause dementia – are you taking them?

Common prescription medications could increase your risk of dementia, a doctor has warned.

The disorder is devastating the lives of millions of people around the world, slowly robbing them of their memory and independence.

Yet, according to research, four in 10 cases of memory-robbing disorder could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes.

There are some factors, such as smoking and drinking, that can increase the risk of developing dementia, but so can certain medications.

Dr. Zain Hasan, a US-based anesthesiologist, told his 635,000 followers on TikTok that there are five medications that can cause dementia – including some antidepressants, painkillers and antihistamines.

The first drug he included in his warning was antihistamines, which were used to relieve the symptoms of allergies, as well as anticholinergics, which were also used to treat allergies.

These medications, some of which are available without a prescription, are used to treat hay fever, eczema, hives, and conjunctivitis, which cause red and itchy eyes.

Dr. However, Hasan said long-term use has been linked to dementia.

One US from 2015 study tracked the brain health of more than 3,400 participants over a 65-year period between 1994 and 2012.

Researchers found that there was a link between increased doses of anticholinergic drugs and those who developed dementia.

Another drug thought to cause dementia is opiates, which are often used as a painkiller after surgery, serious injury, or in cancer patients.

Dr. Hasan said: ‘This is quite common knowledge, but if you take opiates like morphine regularly, they affect your brain, they cause sedation and anything that causes sedation for a long period of time is likely to eventually cause dementia.’

A 2024 studywhich looked at data from more than a million chronic pain patients, 21,000 of whom were opiate users, found that those who used opiates had a 15 percent higher risk of developing dementia.

Researchers excluded patients who had been diagnosed with cancer, underwent surgery and those with a family history of dementia.

Another drug was omeprazole, which is commonly used to treat indigestion and heartburn.

He said: ‘If you take omeprazole regularly it can increase the amount of beta-amyloid in your brain, which can lead to dementia.

‘It works like a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), reducing the acid in your stomach. It’s actually surprising to me, I had no idea it was linked to dementia.’

One 2023 study published in the journal Neurology reported that these types of acid reflux medications have been linked to a higher risk of dementia.

Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, work to reduce acid in the stomach by inhibiting an enzyme that causes the production of acid.

The study involved 5,712 people who were followed for 45 years.

Researchers assessed the medications people were taking and divided them into four groups; those who had not used PPIs, those who had done so for more than two years, up to four years and more than four years.

At the end of the study, 10 percent of people had developed dementia. The researchers adjusted the data for various demographic and health factors and found that PPI users who had taken the drugs for more than four years had a 33 percent higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who had never used the drugs.

However, the theory that PPIs increase the amount of harmful proteins in your brain, thereby increasing your risk of dementia, has only been proven to be true in mice.

Scientists also theorize that PPIs may decrease nutrient absorption, such as lowering vitamin B12 – an essential vitamin for brain health.

A type of sedative drug used to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures called benzodiazepines, such as Valium and Xanax, is also thought to increase the risk of dementia if taken over a long period of time.

Dr. Hasan said: ‘It makes sense, it gets into your central nervous system, it numbs your whole brain, it helps with anxiety, it helps with alcohol intake.

‘If you use them for long periods of time, especially to help you sleep at night, they can cause dementia.’

Several studies have shown a link between the drug and dementia. In one benzodiazepine study a team of researchers from France and Canada selected 2,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease and 7,000 without.

Researchers found that those who had used benzodiazepines for three to six months had a 32 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and those who had used benzodiazepines for more than six months had an 84 percent greater risk than those who had not taken one in their lifetime. had used. .

Dr. Hasan also highlighted that taking tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) – a mental health drug that is less commonly prescribed than SSRIs – can also cause dementia.

He explained that the theme of all these medications is that they directly affect your brain, with the exception of omeprazole.

‘They all affect your brain, they cross the blood-brain barrier. “Anything that numbs your brain for a long period of time, including anesthesia, can cause dementia,” Dr. Hasan warns.

He urged those taking these medications to always talk to a doctor before stopping, especially medications such as opioids and benzodiazepines.

Dr. Hasan also advised those who are “afraid or concerned about dementia in the future” to talk to a doctor about the risks.

There are currently an estimated 982,000 people with dementia in Britain. This number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.

An estimated 6.7 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. This number could grow to 13.8 million by 2060.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 percent of those diagnosed.