Common Drug Dangers: How Over-The-Counter Anticholinergic Medicine Increases Dementia & Cognitive Impairment

Common drugs, or over-the-counter medicine, do not require prescriptions from healthcare professionals. People use these drugs to get relief from colds, allergies, hypertension, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular diseases, and sleep difficulties, among others. A new study, however, learned that these over-the-counter medicines can lead to more serious illnesses.

The research was developed by the Aging Brain Program of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research. The study assessed 451 people with 73 as their average age, and found that those who take anticholinergic drugs have higher chances of developing cognitive impairment such as dementia.

Over-The-Counter Drugs Pose Several Health Risks

According to the study, people who ingested over-the-counter drugs such as Benadryl, Thorazine, Clozaril, Dramamine, Unisom, and Paxil have trouble when it comes to using their brain's executive functions, which includes planning and organizing tasks, reasoning and solving problems. Aside from memory and perception problems, cognitive disorders include dementia, amnesia, and delirium, according to a 2013 study also from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research.

In addition, ingesting anticholinergic drugs give people lower glucose metabolism, lessened brain volume and larger ventricles. Glucose metabolism serves as fuel for the brain and is highly important to the hippocampus, an area in the brain responsible for processing emotions and memories. All these impairments in the brain's performance can occur in 60-90 days upon drinking anticholinergic medicine.

Misuse of Common Drugs

Some people misuse over-the-counter drugs like Benadryl, Tylenol and NyQuil, medicines which ease a person's allergies and make them feel drowsy or sleepy thanks to their antihistamine content called diphenhydramine. People who have difficulty sleeping sometimes resort to Benadryl, Tylenol and NyQuil, even though these drugs are for entirely other purposes.

Others also misuse common drugs as stimulants, pain relievers, for losing weight and for getting high, ATTN listed. When you overdose from these drugs, your liver can be permanently damaged. There's also dehydration, heart irregularities, gastric reflux and ulcer as complications.

Americans Combine Medications and Supplements Dangerously

A report from the University of Illinois and Chicago found that there is an increasing volume of Americans combining over-the-counter drugs, prescription medicine and dietary supplements. This kind of mixing medicines and supplements have dangerous effects, especially if it was done improperly.

Researchers of the study said taking numerous drugs isn't the main problem for patients. Incorrectly and unnecessarily combining them, however, can have grave consequences. For example, the anti-blood clot medicine clopidogrel shouldn't be mixed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, because the combined effect gives people higher risks of heart attack and internal bleeding.