Could OTC Meds be Increasing our Risk for Dementia?
One of the drums that I keep banging on is the dangerous trend in our culture to quickly reach for a medication whenever we have symptoms we don’t like or want to deal with.
I’ve written about meds like stomach acid suppressants increasing the risk of osteoporosis and nutritional deficiencies. We know that antibiotics lead to yeast overgrowth, immune and gut dysfunction, and bacterial resistance. And there are others.
In fact, dementia is a HUGE concern affecting so many individuals and families right now – and we might be bringing it on ourselves (to some extent) with this habit of pill-popping!
This article explores the correlation (not necessarily causation at this time) between some medications and an increased incidence of dementia.
The meds are called anticholinergics. They mostly include Parkinson medicines and some antipsychotics and antidepressants, but there are some others that have similar effects. Namely, medicines that help with bowel and bladder spasms like Bentyl or Ditropan, antihistamines (which are VERY common) like Benadryl, Antivert, Elavil, Claritin, Zyrtec, and zantac.
Here is another article that has a more complete list of these meds. If you are regularly taking medicines, you might want to check out the list to see if yours are on it.
https://www.theseniorlist.com/medication/anticholinergic-drugs/
And remember, if you are interested in solving your health problems more comprehensively, not depending on drugs so much, please schedule an appointment with me! I’d be happy to help you!