When you take medicine for things like high blood pressure, allergies, or other everyday health problems, you usually expect it to help you feel better.
But new research from the University of California, San Diego, shows that some of these medicines might actually harm your memory.
The study looked at a group of drugs called anticholinergic drugs. These are very common and are used to treat many different problems like allergies, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease, and bladder issues.
There are around 100 types of these drugs. Some can be bought without a prescription, while others need a doctor’s prescription.
In this study, researchers followed 688 people who were around 74 years old. At the start of the study, none of them had memory problems. They had been taking anticholinergic drugs regularly—at least once a week for more than six months.
The researchers watched them for up to ten years, checking their memory and thinking skills once a year. About one-third of the people were taking these drugs, and many were taking several types—an average of five. Some of the common drugs they used were Metoprolol, Atenolol, Loratadine, and Bupropion.
The results were worrying. People who took at least one of these drugs had a 47% higher chance of developing memory problems compared to those who didn’t take them. Memory problems can be the first sign of serious brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The risk was even higher for people who were already showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. If they took anticholinergic drugs, they were four times more likely to have memory trouble. People who had genes that put them at risk for Alzheimer’s were 2.5 times more likely to develop memory problems if they used these drugs.
These findings show that we need to be careful when using these kinds of medicines, especially if we’re older or already at risk for Alzheimer’s. If you are taking medications and are worried about memory loss, it may be helpful to speak with your doctor.
The study also reminds us that we should think about other ways to manage health issues. For example, natural options like eating beetroot may help lower blood pressure without the same risks.
This research, led by Lisa Delano-Wood and published in the journal Neurology, is an important reminder that treating one health problem should not make another problem worse. It helps us understand the need to look at the whole picture when making choices about our health.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more health information, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
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