Anticholinergic drugs are utilized to produce a panoply of factors—for depression and psychosis, bladder and gastrointestinal conditions, allergies and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Yet, within the study published Monday in Journal of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine, patients over age 55 who used strong anticholinergic medication daily for more than four years had a 50 percent increased danger of developing dementia.

“This research provides further evidence that doctor should be cautious when prescribing particular drugs that have anticholinergic properties,” Tom Dening, perhaps one of the authors and head of one’s Center for Dementia for the University of Nottingham, said within a press release. “However, it’s important that individuals taking medications along these lines just not only stop them unexpectedly as this can be a great deal more harmful. If patients have concerns, they would have to discuss them along with their doctor to think about what you should know about the treatment they are actually receiving.”

Researchers assessed medical data on nearly 59,000 people with dementia, which they collected between January 2004 and January 2016. Of given records they analyzed, the average age of patients was 82 and about 63 percent of them were women.

Approximately 57 percent considering the patients in the study received a prescription for a minimum of at least one strong anticholinergic drug, one to 11 years before being diagnosed with dementia. Though the link found between the drugs and creating of dementia appears strong, the scientists noted that their findings are associations and do not demonstrate that drugs cause dementia.

Doctors prescribe anticholinergic drugs as a treatment for conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bladder conditions, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders and warning signs of Parkinson’s disease.

The investigation was mighty at some limitations—for example, some patients will possibly not have obtained their drugs as directed, so anticholinergic exposure levels could have been misclassified.
“Further research is essential to make sure that regardless of the association between these drugs and the chance of dementia is causal. These drugs are prescribed for a range of medical conditions and all of the concerns patients might have to stop them appearing should be discussed using their doctors,” Professor Martin Rossor, NIHR National Director of Dementia Research, said.

These health conditions may be as acute as seizures or psychosis, so weighing the pros and cons of taking clonazepam along with a physician is critical professionals say.