Jumat, 01-07-2011 | 0 komentar | 97 hits
New research, published by the University of East Anglia, showed that taking a cocktail of anticholinergic drugs could be extremely harmful to patients — with a higher risk of early death, memory loss and concentration problems.
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New research, published by the University of East Anglia, showed that taking a cocktail of anticholinergic drugs could be extremely harmful to patients — with a higher risk of early death, memory loss and concentration problems.The drugs include common over-the-counter and prescription medications, ranging from painkillers to heart disease pills and hayfever remedies.Anticholinergic drugs block the action of a brain messenger called acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine helps with many brain functions, including moods and behaviour, and our response to pain. That’s why anticholinergic drugs are so useful.There are nearly 100 different medicines in this group.
Codeine (an over-the-counter painkiller), morphine, antidepressants such as Amitriptyline, and treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, all have anticholinergic properties.
They have similar known side-effects, including dry mouth, dizziness, blurred vision, urinary symptoms such as difficulty passing water, and constipation. Patients might also become muddled or sleepy.
The problem if you are taking medicine with high levels of anticholinergic properties, or are taking more than one of these medicines, is that the side-effects are compounded, which the new research shows can be dangerous.
What are the Risks?
The researchers based their findings on the medication records of more than 13,000 people over 65. They then went on to follow up their longevity and illnesses over a two-year period.
They then ranked each anticholinergic drug according to the strength of its effect on the rest of the body.So a drug that had no wider effect on the body scored 0; a drug that had a mild effect scored one; a moderate effect, two; and a severe effect, three.
Over-the-counter Immodium was ranked as mild, for example, and scored one, as did the beta blocker Atenolol.However, Seroxat, an antidepressant, and Chlorphenamine, an ingredient in the hayfever drug Piriton, each scored three.
For each anticholingergic drug you take, you need to add up the score. The study found that people taking drugs with a total score of five or more did worse in a brain function test compared to those taking no anticholinergic drugs.
It also found that 20 per cent of those taking drugs with a total score of four or more had died by the end of the two-year study, compared with 7 per cent of those who weren’t.What makes this University of East Anglia study so important is that it was a ‘real world study’ — in that it looked at the combination of drugs that people may be taking, both prescribed and over-the-counter.
Normally, drug companies research a medicine’s safety by studying the drug in isolation. It was also an independent study — part of ongoing efforts to find ways to reduce the risk factors of Alzheimer’s — and was not funded by a drug company.
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