A fresh study has “substantially” linked dementia with some common medications routinely given to older British individuals for an entirely different ailment, a risk that is especially strong for those aged 55 or over.
Anticholinergic drugs have previously been associated with dementia risk; however, the latest research pinpoints specific medications within this group— which ranges from Benadryl to antipsychotics—that may present the greatest hazard.
The most recent findings identify oxybutynin hydrochloride, solifenacin succinate, and tolterodine tartrate as having a particularly strong connection to increased dementia risk in the elderly. These drugs are typically prescribed for overactive bladders or incontinence.
Researchers urge the medical world to heed these findings: “This finding emphasises the need for clinicians to take into account the possible long term risks and consequences of the available treatment options for an overactive bladder in older adults, and to consider prescribing alternative treatments that might be associated with a lower risk of dementia.”
The conclusion is stark: patients who consumed a daily dose equivalent for three years within a thirteen-year span faced a 25% to 29% elevated risk of developing dementia.
Teams from the University of Nottingham, the University of Manchester, and King’s College London collaborated on this significant health revelation, which was published in the medical journal BMJ.
The research examined over 170,000 dementia patients aged 55 and above, with an average age of 83, shedding light on the varying risks based on their medication.
It was found that 9% were diagnosed with dementia after using anticholinergic drugs between three and 16 years prior.
Those over 80 showed the strongest links between the medication and dementia, while men were also discovered to be at a higher risk than women.
Other anticholinergic drugs, including darifenacin, fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxate hydrochloride, propiverine hydrochloride, and trospium chloride, did not significantly increase the risk of dementia.
The study specifically focused on long-term treatments for overactive bladder commonly prescribed in clinical practice.
As for future steps, the researchers are calling for more studies into mirabegron, another treatment for overactive bladder in older people, typically used after anticholinergic drugs have been prescribed.