Are your medications affecting your memory?

Many of today’s most popular drugs can make you forgetful. They inhibit your brain’s chemical messengers. And this blocks your concentration, memory and ability to focus. More specifically, these drugs block the activity of a neurotransmitter in your brain called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is directly involved in learning and memory. And blocking it is a risky business… I’ve seen confusion, memory loss, and declining mental skills in patients who take these drugs. New research confirms what I see in my own practice. One recent study found that people taking these kinds of drugs had shrunken areas of the brain linked to memories.1 Another study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who used these drugs were more likely to develop dementia.2 The longer you take these drugs the higher your risk. But even just 60 days on these drugs can cause cognitive problems. Sadly, most doctors — and even many pharmacists — don’t know which medications have these anti-cholinergic effects. Drug labels often don’t disclose the dangers. So you could be taking two and even three prescription or OTC drugs with these memory-blocking effects and never even know it. Doctors use these drugs for just about everything including: Overactive bladder Stomach cramps Muscle spasms Parkinson’s tremors High blood pressure Motion sickness Heart disease Nausea Insomnia Allergies Asthma Colds Acid reflux Depression Pain When you take th...
Source: Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies - Category: Complementary Medicine Authors: Tags: Anti-Aging Source Type: news