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Watch VideoDr. John says some common medications can cause memory problems
Dr. John
If you or your parents are taking certain medications then read up. Those medications could be causing problems.
These are common medications that a lot of people take. The problems is these medications can cause memory problems and make it harder for older people to function.
The medications are ones that most of us probably take for granted, especially as we get older. The ones we are talking about are used to control high blood pressure, like nifedipine, which is sold as Adalat or Procardia, ones used for antacids, like ranitidine, sold as Zantac and even simple, common over the counter allergy medicines like benadryl. What they all have in common is that these medications
block a chemical in our bodies called acetylcholine. This chemical is a messenger in our nervous system that's critical for our memory, so when it's blocked we end up having more memory problems.
And that's just what these researchers discovered. In a newly released study they found that patients taking these meds had more problems functioning than those not taking them. And the older the were, the worse it became. As a matter of fact, experts say that for someone who's 75 and taking these medications, they are probably functioning like someone three to four years older, around 78 or 79. That age difference can be crucial when it comes to being independent and not getting hurt in daily routines.
So what's the best thing to do? Since in many cases there are newer drugs without these side effects that can be substituted, get with your doctor, or have your mom or dad get with their doctor, to go over the meds you, or they, are currently taking and which ones have this acetylcholine blocking effect. Make sure you take a list of all meds, including any over the counter medications you use, since these too could be causing the same problem.
