Freely available sleeping tablets that are based by millions can dramatically increase the risk of dementia, has warned a top American health expert.
In a recent message that has been viewed more than three million times, Dr. Amy Shah her followers not to use products that contain diphenhydramine.
These include popular medicines that are generally available in British pharmacies without a prescription, such as Nytol One-a-Night, Boots Sleepeaze and Panadol Night.
It is also found in a series of Benylin -cold, flu and cough products.
In the US there are well -known brands Tylenol PM, Unisom and allergy medication atmosryl.
The intervention of Dr. Shah comes in the midst of the growing concern about research into the impact that regularly takes drugs that are known as anticholinergics, including diphenhydramine.
A shocking study, published in 2015, kept up to date 3,500 older adults discovered that they had a 54 percent higher dementia risk on the tablets for three years.
Another, published in December, discovered that there was an increased dementia risk of 22 percent in men who took a different type of anticholinergic for urine incontinence.
In a recent message that has been viewed more than three million times, Dr. Amy Shah Her followers not to use products that contain diphenhydramine
Sleeping aids that are taken into the UK by millions of people can dramatically increase the risk of dementia, a top -american health expert warned
In her viral message, Dr. said Shah: 'This is really an important message for those who use Attryl, Unisom, Tyleol PM, things with diphydramine to help you sleep.
“Don't do it. Do not do it regularly because there is an increased risk of dementia – in one study 54 percent increased the risk of dementia in the elderly who take it three years or more. '
Immunity and diet expert Dr. Shah, who has been trained at the universities of Harvard, Cornell and Columbia, adds: 'I know it is freely available, I know you have had it since you had a child, but we now know much more.
“You should not use these medicines regularly.”
In addition to causing sleepiness, diphenhydramine has an antihistamine effect, so that allergic reactions are filled in.
Nevertheless, it is not used in generally found in allergy drugs in the UK, although Appryl products in the US contain it.
Dr. Shag said: 'Even for allergies use new antihistamines such as Zirtec or Allegra [sold as Allevia in the UK]Clariten, Zyzal, because they don't cross the blood brain barrier that much.
'To be honest, I could no longer be convinced that this is something that you have to get from your life.
Difenhydramine is available in medicines in British pharmacies without a prescription, such as Nytol One-a-Night, Boots Sleepeaze and Panadol Night.
The intervention of Dr. Shah comes in the midst of the growing concern about research into the impact that regularly use medicines that are known as anticholinergics, including diphenhydramine
A shocking study, published in 2015, kept up to date 3,500 older adults discovered that they had a 54 percent higher dementia risk on the tablets for three years or more
“If you know someone who uses them regularly or if you use these products regularly, stop.”
Anticholinge blocks the functioning of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger who sends messages in the nervous system.
In the brain, acetylcholine is involved in learning and memory. In the rest of the body it stimulates muscle contractions.
In addition to antihistamines, other anticholinergics include tricyclic antidepressants, medicines to control the overactive bladder and medicines to illuminate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
In December a study of nearly 1 million British patients suggested that some types of these drugs can increase the risk of dementia by about third party.
British experts analyzed the health files of just over 170,000 patients in England older than 55 with dementia and compared with 800,000 patients without the memory robbing disorder.
In general, the authors thought that taking an anticholinergge was linked to an 18 percent increased risk of dementia diagnosis.
However, they thought that the increased risk was slightly higher in men – 22 percent, compared to women with 16 percent.
It is thought that around 900,000 British have dementia, but scientists from the University College London estimate that this will rise to 1.7 million within two decades if people live longer
The above symptoms are less well-known signs of dementia-the memory spread state that teases nearly a million British and seven million Americans
Some specific types of medicines that are often given to incontinence patients also had a much higher risk.
The prescribed, oxybutynine hydrochloride, had a 31 percent higher risk of dementia and that on a different type, tolerodine tartrate, had an increased risk of 27 percent.
The experts said their findings emphasized that doctors consider alternative treatments for overactive bladder in elderly patients.
In addition to widespread freely available use in sleep aids, NHS data suggests hundreds of thousands of Anticholinge recipes on the NHS every month.
However, from the authors, who published their research in the British Medical Journal, discovered that some types of anticholinergics were not linked to an increased risk of dementia.
These were darifenacin, fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxathydrochloride, propiverine hydrochloride and troversiechloride.
The experts also analyzed a non-anticholinergic medicine called Mirabgron, which is also prescribed to patients with overactive blowing, but works with the help of a different mechanism than Anticholinergge.
Although the scientists found any evidence of dementia tires with this medicine, they noted that the data was not clear and that further research was needed.
The makers of Nytol, Panadol Night, Benylin and also boots were approached for comment.
