Cognitve impairment and anti-cholinergic drugs in the older adult.

Anticholinergic drugs block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, and their use is associated with memory loss. Drugs that have this effect include many psychotropic drugs, benzodiazepines included.

 

Anticholinergic brain burden score: https://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/3306616/10940915/Anticholinergics/088bb9e6-3ee2-4b75-b8ce-b2d59dc538c2

 

Note that numerous psych drugs like antidepressants and antipsychotics are included in the more dangerous group 3 category. Each anticholinergic may increase the risk of cognitive impairment by 46% over 6 years. Additionally, each point increase in the ABC total score has been correlated with a 26% increase in the risk of death.

 

Indiana University discovered that using anticholinergics for as few as 60 days causes memory problems in older adults. A similar impact is seen with 90 days of continuous use when taking multiple drugs with a weaker anticholinergic effect. More research is required to determine whether anticholinergic induced cognitive impairment can be reversed.

 

In a more recent 2016 study entitled "Association Between Neurology, Anticholinergic Medication Use and Cognition, Brain Metabolism, and Brain Atrophy in Cognitively Normal Older Adult" they "observed that CN older adults (mean age 73.3 years) taking medications with medium of high AC activity showed poorer cognition, reduced cerebral glucose metabolism, increased brain atrophy, and increased clinical decline compared with those not taking these medications and that these symptoms were greatest in CN older adults with the highest total AC burden score."

 

https://www.jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2514553

The anticholinergics are also considered to be "vestibular suppressants" in the medical literature, meaning they interfere with balance and vestibular compensation. Benzodiazepines and antihistamines are also "vestibular suppressants". For those of us who are already dizzy from having taken benzos, the anticholinergics and antihistamines are ones to avoid. They all make your brain sleepy.  :sleepy:

 

 

I hadn't appreciated until fairly recently that Fluoxetine or Prozac was derived from diphenhydramine or Benadryl. No wonder I felt permanently tired on antidepressants. You have to wonder how many older people have their life span shortened because of drugs that slow down their faculties and disturb their balance resulting in falls.

 

I feel the need to have a yawn now!

I can't believe I took Prozac at all! Now that I've read so much about it, I just have regret. I can't believe I wasn't told about all of the negative side effects and withdrawal effects. Ah well, it's the same with the other meds. They don't tell you much, and then you find out the reality once it's too late. 

 

Well as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing Lapis and I was hoodwinked for over 30 years. I was told I might have problems for maybe 2 months after stopping A/Ds but a year and a half later and "discontinuation syndrome" was still going strong. The reality is sometimes they don't want to acknowledge there is problem and not enough people are aware of antidepressant withdrawal and remain on their drug in the mistaken belief that they need them. To think they work little better than placebo. Tragic. 

The UK isn't so afraid to reveal the truth like the US.  There's a big denial problem here in the US.  Big Pharma won't let the truth be told, to the detriment of the US population. 

I am hoping and praying you are right Becksblue. But you shouldn't underestimate the opposition, they don't remain quiet for long. The Daily Mail has been very much in our corner and published articles about the downsides of psychiatric drugs like antidepressants and benzodiazepines and yet fairly recently they also published an article favourable to A/Ds by Prof Carmine Pariente. Now I've been damaged by these drugs I'd I'm not happy that the Prof thinks we should overlook the issues of dependence and withdrawal (in my case protracted) not to mention serious side effects. As for benzodiazepines the UK governments tend to think there isn't much of a problem to resolve. Try telling that to the over 1 million long term users of benzos in the UK.

 

At the moment I'm cautiously optimistic what with the work of the APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence and the support from the BMA for a telephone helpline and specialised services for us struggling on the front line. I still think however that the media and the wider public have a long way to go to be educated about the bloody awful toxins that are psych drugs.

We're watching from the other side of the pond and hoping for some good news from the UK! I really appreciate the efforts of the APPG-PDD, as well as the people at CEPUK. 

The members of the CEPUK are impressive and they have pushed the PDD agenda hard that combined with the efforts of countless charitable groups and individuals it's allowing us to have a glimmer of hope. The APPG for PDD has had a recent meeting so you will soon be able to read minutes from this meeting on their website in the coming weeks. We have to wait and see if things have progressed.   

Hey, pris, that's good news! I haven't checked either of those websites lately, so thanks for the update.