Over the counter drugs can increase risk of dementia

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Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities



HealthAim

by LeslieD

A study conducted by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UAE) discovered that common over the counter and prescription drugs may increase the risk of dementia and death in the elderly.

The study involved 13,000 people aged 65 and over from across the UK. Researchers analyzed over 80 drugs including antihistamines, anti-depressants, incontinence drugs, blood thinners, painkillers, heartburn medications and eye drops taken for glaucoma.

The drugs were analyzed for a potential side effect called “anticholinergic activity” which affects the brain by blocking a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

The risk for anticholinergic activity increases when taking a combination of the drugs, causing a cumulative effect.

The drugs in question include the antihistamines chlorphenamine (used in Piriton) and promethazine (used in Phenergan), anti-depressants amitriptyline (used in several brands) and paroxetine (used in Seroxat), the incontinence drug oxybutynin (used in Ditropan), the blood thinner warfarin, the heartburn drug ranitidine (used in the brand Zantac), alongside painkiller codeine and timolol maleate eye drops taken for glaucoma.

“This is the first large-scale study into the long-term impact of medicines which block acetylcholine – a common brain neurotransmitter – on humans, and our results show a potentially serious effect on mortality,” said Dr. Chris Fox, clinical senior lecturer at Norwich Medical School, UEA.

It is strongly recommended that patients with any concerns about their OTC or prescription medication consult their pharmacist and/or family physician.

Rosemary for Alzheimers

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Rosemary and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. James Duke, former U.S. Department of Agriculture chief of medicinal plant research, and one of the world's leading authorities on medicinal plants, is convinced that rosemary may retard the progression of Alzheimer's disease. He explains that Alzheimer's has been blamed on oxidative and inflammatory processes and on the breakdown or deficiency of choline and acetylcholine in in the brain.


"Rosemary contains more than a dozen antioxidants and a half-dozen compounds reported to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine. It's fabulous that the classical herb of remembrance has so many compounds that might help people suffering from this disease," Duke says.