Dementia, Alzheimer's disease and links with Anticholinergic drugs

Anticholinergic drugs are used to treat a variety of ailments, including gastrointestinal conditions such as nausea, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhoea, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis; respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, and COPD; and other conditions, such as cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis, insomnia and dizziness.

There are many kinds and brands of Anticholinergetic drugs, and it has been estimated that about 50% of the USA population is taking at least one of these drugs.This list has been taken from the Wikipedia website (used here, but not always the best, or most accurate source of health information because of its connections with the conventional medical establishment).

Anti-Muscarinic Drugs. Atropine, Benztropine (Cogentin), Biperiden, Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), Dicyclomine (Dicycloverine), Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Sominex, Advil PM, etc.), Doxylamine (Unisom), Glycopyrrolate (Robinul), Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril), Ipratropium (Atrovent), Orphenadrine, Oxitropium (Oxivent), Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Driptane, Lyrinel XL), Tolterodine (Detrol, Detrusitol), Tiotropium (Spiriva), Trihexyphenidyl, Scopolamine, Solifenacin, Tropicamide. 

Anti-Nicotinic Drugs. Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin), Ganglion blockers; Dextromethorphan, (Cough suppressant and ganglion blocker), Doxacurium (Nondeplorizing skeletal muscular relaxant), Hexamethonium, (Ganglion blocker), Mecamylamine, (Ganglion blocker and occasional smoking cessation aid), Tubocurarine, (Nondepolarizing skeletal muscular relaxant).

Known (Disease Inducing Effects)

It is important to note that Anticholinergetic drugs are widely implicated in causing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Wikipedia lists the following side-effects for these drugs, and included amongst these can be found many pointers to these diseases of the mind. The article states that long-term use of these drugs increases the risk of both mental and physical decline.

• Ataxia; loss of coordination

• Decreased mucus production in the nose and throat; consequent dry, sore throat

• Xerostomia or dry-mouth with possible acceleration of dental caries

• Cessation of perspiration; consequent decreased epidermal thermal dissipation leading to warm, blotchy, or red skin

• Increased body temperature

• Pupil dilation (mydriasis); consequent sensitivity to bright light (photophobia)

• Loss of accommodation (loss of focusing ability, blurred vision – cycloplegia)

• Double-vision (diplopia)

• Increased heart rate (tachycardia)

• Tendency to be easily startled

• Urinary retention

• Diminished bowel movement, sometimes ileus (decreases motility via the vagus nerve)

• Increased intraocular pressure; dangerous for people with narrow-angle glaucoma.

Possible effects in the central nervous system:

• Confusion

• Disorientation

• Agitation

• Euphoria or dysphoria

• Respiratory depression

• Memory problems[7]

• Inability to concentrate

• Wandering thoughts; inability to sustain a train of thought

• Incoherent speech

• Irritability

• Mental confusion (brain fog)

• Wakeful myoclonic jerking

• Unusual sensitivity to sudden sounds

• Illogical thinking

• Photophobia

• Visual disturbances

• Periodic flashes of light

• Periodic changes in visual field

• Visual snow

• Restricted or "tunnel vision"

• Visual, auditory, or other sensory hallucinations

• Warping or waving of surfaces and edges

• Textured surfaces

• "Dancing" lines; "spiders", insects; form constants

• Lifelike objects indistinguishable from reality

• Phantom smoking

• Hallucinated presence of people not actually there

• Rarely: seizures, coma, and death

• Orthostatic hypotension (sudden dropping of systolic blood pressure when standing up suddenly) and significantly increased risk of falls in the elderly population.[8]

The Wikipedia article says that it is ‘unclear’ whether they affect the risk of death! Research done by the University of East Anglia in 2011 appears to give some clarification on this, and confirmation of the association between Anticholinergetic drugs. They found that a ‘side-effect’ of many commonly used drugs increased the risks of both cognitive impairment and death in older people. This research was described as the first systematic investigation into the long term health impacts of anticholinergic drugs, and its findings were published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

They found that the anticholinergic drugs with the greatest effect, taken frequently by older people, were: 

• Anti-depressants such as Amitriptyline, Imipramine and Clomipramine
• Tranquilisers such as Chlorpromazine and Trifluoperazine
• Bladder medication such as Oxybutynin
• Antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine. 

Other drugs with an anticholinergic effect mentioned were Atenolol, Furosemide and Nifedipine for heart problems; painkillers such as Codeine and Dextropropoxyphene; the asthma treatment Beclometasone; and the epilepsy treatment Carbamazepine; and Timolol eyedrops which are used for glaucoma. 

More than 13,000 men and women aged 65 and over from across the UK were included in the two-year study. Around half were found to use a medication with potential anticholinergic properties. The key findings were:

• 20% of participants taking drugs with a total ACB of four or more had died by the end of the two-year study, compared with only seven per cent of those taking no anticholinergic drugs - the first time a link between anticholinergics and mortality has been shown. 

• For every additional ACB point scored, the odds of dying increased by 26%.

• Participants taking drugs with a combined ACB of five or more scored more than 4% lower in a cognitive function test than those taking no anticholinergic medications “confirming evidence from previous smaller studies of a link between anticholinergics and cognitive impairment”. 

• The increased risks from anticholinergic drugs were shown to be cumulative, based on the number of anticholinergic drugs taken and the strength of each drug’s anticholinergic effect. 

• Those who were older, of lower social class, and with a greater number of health conditions, tended to take the most anticholinergic drugs.

Such are the dangers of this category of pharmaceutical drug there has even been a disease named after it - Anticholinergic Syndrome!

Dementia / Alzheimer's Disease. Caused by conventional medical drugs?

Alzheimer’s disease is the commonest of over 100 forms of dementia, a brain disorder that seriously and progressively restricts the ability to carry out normal daily functions and activities. It affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Alzheimer’s disease was first noted by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor in about 1906, when it must have been an extremely rare condition.

The incidence of Alzheimer’s, and dementia generally, has increased rapidly over the last 50 to 60 years. A report published in 2006 by the Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), mentioned in The Lancet (17^th December 2005), calculated that there was a new case of dementia every seven seconds, and predicted that, worldwide, dementia cases are expected to double every 20 years. They estimated that over 24 million people are living with dementia, and 4.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. There are 4.8 million in Western Europe and 3.4 million in North America. The ADI chairman is reported as calling the situation "a ticking time bomb".

The Alzheimer's Society published a major study on the social and economic impact of dementia in the UK in February 2007. The research, was undertaken by King's College London, and the London School of Economics, provided the most detailed information about the prevalence and impact of dementia in the UK. These are some of its findings http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=342

• There are currently 700,000 people with dementia in the UK.
• There are currently 15,000 younger people with dementia in the UK (considered to be an under-estimate by about 3-times as data relies on referrals to services).
• There are over 11,500 people with dementia from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.
• There will be over a million people with dementia by 2025.
• Two thirds of people with dementia are women.
• The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every 5 year age group. One third of people over 95 have dementia.
• 60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to dementia.
• The financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £17 billion a year.
• Family carers of people with dementia save the UK over £6 billion a year.
• 64% of people living in care homes have a form of dementia.
• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in a care home.

The cause of this epidemic, like so many others, is said to be ‘unknown’. One of the main excuses for the rapid rise of dementia in recent decades has been that ‘people are living longer’, and that it is ‘a normal part of ageing’.. But this is no longer viable as younger people, some in their 30’s, are now developing the condition. More realistic causes may be an increased contact with metals like aluminium and mercury (including dental amalgam, a mercury based compound placed routinely in our teeth, in a wet environment that leeches this poison into our bodies, close to our brain). Both metals can be found in vaccines.

Yet this is certainly an epidemic that could have been caused by the increased consumption of ConMed drugs during the last 60-100 years. The rise in drug taking is reflected in the rise of dementia, and the global incidence of dementia reflects the amount of drugs consumed by different countries.

The connection is, of course, not recognised by the Conventional Medical Establishment, although any cursory examination of the British National Formulary demonstrates that there are a large number of Big Pharma drugs that list 'confusion' as a 'side-effect'. But there is evidence to connect dementia with drugs, as the two examples here indicate.

Dr Hugh Fudenberg, MD, one of the world's leading immuno-geneticists, has said that if an individual has had 5 consecutive ‘flu vaccinations between 1970 and 1980 (the years he studied) his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease was 10 times higher than if he/she had one, 2 or no shots. Dr. Fudenberg said that this was due to the mercury and aluminum elements in ‘flu vaccinations, and that the gradual mercury and aluminum build-up in the brain causes cognitive dysfunction. (Hugh Fudenberg, MD, is Founder and Director of Research, Neuro lmmuno Therapeutic Research Foundation, and this information came from transcribed notes of his speech at the NVIC International Vaccine Conference, Arlington, VA September, 1997).

There is also evidence that common drugs used to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease and allergies can produce symptoms that can be mistaken for early dementia. An article in the British Medical Journal (Feb 2006; 332: 455 – 459) refers to research says doctors should be aware anticholinergic drugs can cause confusion, memory loss and disorientation. Karen Ritchie, the author of the article, told Reuters (London) that

          "A large number of elderly people are taking medications that can mimic early dementia and are likely to be classed as having early dementia. A very large number of people with so-called early dementia have these effects due to drug consumption. The drugs they are taking are very common - they include things like antihistamines"

          "What we showed is that many of the people who are classified in this way have it due to the medication they are taking, and not because they have early Alzheimer's disease".

          "The drugs they are taking are very common they include things like antihistamines"

Anticholinergic drugs are prescribed to relieve tremors, muscle stiffness, weakness, anxiety, incontinence and sleep problems – so contracting Alzheimer’s disease as a result of taking them should perhaps be described as something more serious than a ‘side-effect’! I have developed the alternative concept of DIEs (or Disease Inducing Effects) for drugs that contribute to diseases far worse than the illness for which they were originally intended.

The self-published book by Grace E Jackson, called ‘Drug Induced Dementia - a perfect crime’ takes us through, and catalogues, the vast amount of scientific evidence that conventional medical drugs are the primary cause of all forms of dementia, which has certain become one of the more rampant epidemic conditions of our time. 

There are many other links to articles associating dementia and Alzeiimer’s Disease with conventional pharmaceutical drugs:

Xanax and Other Benzodiazepines Linked to Dementia Risk

Everyday medications cause dementia-like effects within 60 days (What Doctors Don't Tell You)

Certainly, anyone who has a relative or friend who has dementia, particularly in the early stages, it would be wise to look at this potential cause of dementia.

This feature was first published in the ebook "The Failure of Conventional Medicine".