From: judgebean23x@gmail.com   
      
   Common over-the-counter drugs linked to dementia and brain shrinkage [STUDY]    
   Louise Bonquin | Apr 25, 2016 11:08 AM EDT    
      
      
   Over-the-counter drugs can hurt the brain and increase risk of dementia    
      
      
   Over-the-counter drugs can hurt the brain and increase risk of dementia (Photo   
   : You Tube/Human Relations Media)    
      
   People rely on over-the-counter medicines for quick relief of allergies, colds   
   and insomnia. However, most of the meds used to treat these common health   
   issues have been declared unsafe after new study revealed that taking them can   
   lead to dementia and    
   can possibly decrease the size of the brain.      
      
      
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   In the newest research that was published on Journal of the American Medical   
   Association Neurology, one research team stated that a lot of prescription and   
   over-the-counter drugs can actually increase the risk of developing dementia   
   among the elders. The    
   researchers particularly mentioned anticholinergic drugs as risky to use   
   because they are one of those medicines that are linked to dementia and   
   cognitive impairment.    
      
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   Likewise, scientists said that older patients who take anticholinergic   
   medicines to deal with wide range of health conditions such as allergies,   
   depression, urinary incontinence, asthma, allergies, sleeping problems,   
   hypertension and obstructive    
   pulmonary disease, should be made aware of the side effects from such type of   
   medication. These drugs were recently found to have serious ill effects on the   
   brain so  it must be taken with utmost precautions if it cannot be avoided.    
      
   People might not be familiar with anticholinergic drugs but it is highly   
   likely that many know about Dimetapp, Paxil, Benadryl, Dramamine, Demerol and   
   Unisom. These medicines are commonly sold over-the-counter and often   
   prescribed by physicians, however,    
   these were included in the list of medicines to watch out for because   
   scientists discovered that patients who take them score poorly on cognitive   
   tests and their brains appear to be smaller in size compared to those who do   
   not take such medications.    
      
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   In order to assess any changes in the participants' brain condition and   
   activities, the reserachers made used of PET and MRI scans. Each person was   
   also asked to take memory and cognitive tests which include short term memory   
   tests, problem solving,    
   verbal reasoning, planning and execution functions.    
      
   According to CNN, 451 people had participated in the study at the Indiana   
   University School of Medicine and most of them are already in their early 70s.   
   Findings showed that over time, the brains of at least 60 people who were   
   taking anticholinergic    
   drugs have shrunk and not functioning to the level as they should.    
      
   "These findings provide us with a much better understanding of how this class   
   of drugs may act upon the brain in ways that might raise the risk of cognitive   
   impairment and dementia," assistant professor of radiology and imaging   
   sciences Shannon Risacher    
   said.    
      
   Finally, the professor said that with the latest findings, doctors should   
   think twice before prescribing anticholinergic drugs. She also urged them to   
   consider alternative medicines, whenever possible, for the safety of the   
   patients.    
      
   Watch the video for more evidence rhat common drugs may cause cognition   
   issues:    
      
      
      
      
   Tags:over-the-counter medicinesdementiaCommon colds drugsShannon RisacherJAMA    
      
      
      
   Read more: http://en.yibada.com/articles/118916/20160425/common-   
   ver-counter-drugs-linked-dementia-brain-shrinkage-study.htm#ixzz47KktWeTm   
      
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