Anticholinergics and confusion in the elderly

Elderly people taking anticholinergic medications may develop problems with memory and thinking, a study in the British Medical Journal shows.

This French study shows that anticholinergics , which are commonly used, block the actions of acetyl choline, a nerve transmitter affected in Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was an eight year follow-up of the mental state of several hundred older people who did not have dementia when the research began. Those on anticholinergic medications were more likely to develop the early signs of dementia – called cognitive impairment – affecting memory, thinking and the ability to carry out various tasks.
This decline didn’t actually progress to full blown dementia, suggesting it was a drug effect rather than early Alzheimer’s.

Medications and some natural therapies which have anti- cholinergic effects include sedatives, painkillers and some antihistamines.