Some Common Drugs May Increase Your Dementia Risk

Over-the-counter pills and some other common medications may increase someone’s risk of dementia, a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found.

There were three types of drugs that increased someone’s risk of dementia – Doxepin, Chlorpheniramine and Oxybutynin, which are medications that treat overactive bladder, depression and allergies/head congestion, respectively. In the study, which monitored about 3,400 people over 10 years, about a quarter developed dementia.

“Of interest, participants with the highest exposure to these medications had a statistically significant increased risk of dementia compared to those who were not taking any [of these] medications,” says Michele Pisano, PharmD, clinical pharmacist at the geriatric faculty practice of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “Two similar studies, one in France and one in Germany found a similar increased of dementia. The current study included a much larger community based subject sample and a longer follow up.”

Gisele Wolf-Klein, MD, director of geriatric education at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, says older adults and their loved ones should discuss the results of this study with their geriatrician or other physician.

“Older adults need to be educated by their physician and pharmacist on the potential safety risks particularly since anticholinergic medications are widely available over-the-counter,” Dr. Wolf-Klein says.