Tuesday 17 January 2017

Certain Medications Can Raise The Risk Of Getting Dementia

There are built-in risk factors for all kinds of dementia and then there are also certain medications that are suspected to increase your odds of getting some form of dementia. While Alzheimer’s disease is a form of a dementia, it isn’t the only one. Regular risk factors include smoking, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, genetics, age, and alcohol use.
  • A possible link has recently been found between heartburn medications that contain PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) and dementia. While it is possible that other factors might be at work here, including that individuals taking PPIs might also be at a higher risk for developing dementia anyway due to obesity, drinking heavily or smoking heavily, it is still considered wise to avoid PPIs if at all possible to prevent developing dementia.
  • Anticholinergic drugs are another type of drug to avoid in the elderly to possibly prevent the onset of dementia. These drugs include over the counter medications such as sleep aids, allergy medicines like Benadryl, antidepressants and more. Instead of completely going off any of these medications, it’s best to consult your physician to talk about the pros and cons, benefits of the current medications, and any possible alternatives.
  • A lack of Vitamin D might also raise the risk for cognitive decline including executive functioning (following directions, reasoning, planning, etc.), semantic memory (learned facts), episodic memory (personal past events), and visuospatial ability (depth perception, reading, etc). Get Vitamin D in such foods as beef liver, cod liver oil, fatty fish like tuna, foods that are fortified with Vitamin D (milk, yogurt, cereals, etc.), and Swiss cheese.
While it’s important to know the pros and cons to every medication, if you’re taking a medicine that might raise your chances of developing dementia, it’s probably best to talk with your doctor about alternatives and consider stopping for mild symptoms.

Always Best Care has been providing quality in-home care to seniors all over the United States and Canada for the past 20 years. If you are interested in receiving a free consultation regarding senior care in Lorain County or in-home health care in Medina, contact the local Always Best Care office at 440-791-7177 today.

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