Dr. Oz: Over-the-Counter Medications & Dementia
Dr. Oz talked about a disturbing new connection between over-the-counter medications and dementia. A new study that monitored the health of 3,500 men and women looked at their use of certain anticholinergic drugs, including certain allergy medications, sleep aids, antidepressants, and drugs for the heart, bladder, and gut. The study showed use of these drugs can increase the risk of dementia by as much as 50 percent and the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by as much as 60 percent.
Dr. Oz talked about a new study that shows chronic use of certain over-the-counter meds can increase risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. (flamephoenix1991 / flickr)
Are our everyday drugs putting us at risk for dementia? These drugs would include things like Benedryl, Sominex, Tavist, Detrol, Skelaxin, Limbitrol, Luminal, Soma, Nytol, Piriton, Doxepin, Detrol, and Ditropan, among others. Some people are taking these medications daily for their conditions. If you take these drugs once in a while, it probably won’t affect you. This study is based on chronic use.
Dr. Oz: Do Over-the-Counter Medications Cause Dementia?
Dr. Oz talked to neurologist Dr. Gayatri Devi, who said there is a real problem of people overmedicating themselves in general. This study shows us that there are long-term risks. The study showed these drugs can prevent the brain cells from communicating efficiently.
Dr. Oz: Sleep Pills & Alzhemier’s Disease
Some of these medications are to help you sleep. One woman in the audience has been taking Tylenol PM twice a week for about three years to help her sleep. She said this study is really scary because her grandmother actually had Alzhemier’s. She said she was going to totally stop taking these meds after today.
Dr. Devi said the most important takeaway for this study is that sleep is something we’re all born experts in. We’re made to sleep. Unfortunately, we’ve tried to schedule sleep and power ourselves on and off. Taking sleeping aids regularly is a bad habit because it messes with our body chemistry.
These sleep pills are designed to be taken just for one week. They’re not meant to be taken for longer than that.
Leave a Reply