{"id":640750,"date":"2026-06-16T00:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/640750\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T00:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:31:10","slug":"common-prescription-drugs-linked-to-dementia-risk-in-over-55s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/640750\/","title":{"rendered":"Common prescription drugs linked to dementia risk in over-55s"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Commonly<\/p>\n

Commonly prescribed drugs could increase risk of dementia following a scientific study (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Concerns have been raised over commonly prescribed medications that could heighten the risk of dementia, following the publication of a significant scientific study. Research has suggested that the regular use of certain widely-prescribed drugs \u2014 used to treat bladder conditions, Parkinson’s disease and depression \u2014 could substantially increase the likelihood of developing dementia in later life.<\/p>\n

The study, conducted by experts at the University of Nottingham and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), revealed that patients aged 55 and over who had taken strong anticholinergic medication daily for three years or more faced nearly a 50% greater risk of developing dementia.<\/p>\n

The Alzheimer’s Society, when the study came out, commented<\/a>: “Our own researchers have already shown a strong link between anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia. This study builds on this information, showing that long-term, high-dose use increases risk of some dementias, particularly vascular dementia.<\/p>\n

“A shortcoming of this type of study is that from this information we can’t rule out whether the diseases that cause dementia might have already begun in the brains of people involved before they started taking these drugs.<\/p>\n

“Current guidelines for doctors say that anticholinergic drugs<\/a> should be avoided for frail older people because of their impact on memory and thinking, but doctors should consider these new findings for all middle-aged and older people, as long-term use could raise the risk of dementia.”<\/p>\n

Anticholinergic medications assist in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, working by blocking acetylcholine \u2014 a chemical responsible for transmitting signals throughout the nervous system.<\/p>\n

Doctors prescribe these drugs to treat a wide variety of conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bladder problems, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, and symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.<\/p>\n

While these medicines can cause short-term side effects such as confusion and memory loss, whether prolonged use raises the risk of dementia remains less certain. The research, led by Professor Carol Coupland from the University’s Division of Primary Care and published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, examined the medical records of 58,769 patients diagnosed with dementia and 225,574 patients without a dementia diagnosis.<\/p>\n

All patients were aged 55 and over and registered with UK GPs contributing data to the QResearch database, between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2016. This study was first reported on in 2019.<\/p>\n

The study’s findings pointed to an elevated risk of dementia associated with anticholinergic drugs as a whole, and specifically with anticholinergic antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, antiparkinsons drugs, bladder drugs and epilepsy drugs, once other dementia risk factors had been taken into account. No elevated risks were identified for other categories of anticholinergic drugs examined in the study, including antihistamines and gastrointestinal medications.<\/p>\n

These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that physicians should exercise caution when prescribing certain drugs with anticholinergic properties.<\/p>\n

It is crucial, however, that patients currently taking such medications do not suddenly stop without medical guidance, as this could prove far more detrimental to their health. Anyone with concerns is strongly advised to consult their doctor to carefully weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of their current treatment.<\/p>\n

The 58,769 patients with dementia had an average age of 82 and 63% were women. Each dementia case was matched to five control patients of the same age, sex, and general practice. Professor Coupland said: “Our study adds further evidence of the potential risks associated with strong anticholinergic drugs, particularly antidepressants, bladder antimuscarinic drugs, anti-Parkinson drugs and epilepsy drugs.<\/p>\n

“The risks of this type of medication should be carefully considered by healthcare professionals alongside the benefits when the drugs are prescribed and alternative treatments should be considered where possible, such as other types of antidepressants or alternative types of treatment for bladder conditions.<\/p>\n

“These findings also serve to underline the critical importance of conducting regular medication reviews. We found a greater risk for people diagnosed with dementia before the age of 80 which indicates that anticholinergic drugs should be prescribed with caution in middle-aged people as well as in older people.”<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s Society: The six most common symptoms of dementia include:Memory loss \u2013 problems recalling things that happened recentlyDifficulty organising thoughts \u2013 struggling to make decisions, solve problems or follow stepsChanges in mood or personality \u2013 becoming unusually anxious, irritable, or withdrawnProblems with communication \u2013 difficulties following conversations or struggling to find the right wordsProblems with vision \u2013 problems judging distances or perceiving object edgesGetting confused about time or place \u2013 losing track of the time or date, or becoming confused about where they are<\/p>\n

Should you have concerns about yourself or a loved one, check your symptoms today by visiting alzheimers.org.uk\/checklist or by calling Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Commonly prescribed drugs could increase risk of dementia following a scientific study (Image: Getty) Concerns have been raised…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":640751,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[3557,83633,216125,13883,854,46381,102,2960,56,54,55,216126],"class_list":["post-640750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-alzheimers","tag-alzheimers-society","tag-anticholinergic-drugs","tag-antidepressants","tag-dementia","tag-dementia-risk","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-university-of-nottingham-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}