Your medications may be causing memory loss

A study in the July 13, 2010 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, demonstrated that a variety of relatively common over-the-counter and prescription medications cause long-term cognitive impairment.  These drugs are in a class called anticholinergics, which "block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, and are widely-used medical therapies. They are sold over the counter under various brand names such as Benadryl®, Dramamine®, Excedrin PM®, Nytol®, Sominex®, Tylenol PM®, and Unisom®. Other anticholinergic drugs, such as Paxil®, Detrol®, Demerol® and Elavil® are available only by prescription."

The study focused on African-Americans over the age of 70 who had normal cognitive impairment before the study began.  Many of these drugs are used as sleep aids, to  relieve pain and anxiety, and minimize bladder leakage problems - all very common issues as people age.  Much of the cognitive impairment involves memory loss without functional impairment.  According to the article, there had already been a link confirmed earlier between anticholinergics use and the onset of dementia. 

This article confirmed for me the memory loss I know I experienced since taking Elavil® and Detrol® (among other drugs) to control the symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis, a disease of the bladder that causes inflammation of the bladder wall lining.  I stopped taking these drugs about 4 years ago, once my bladder healed (you can read my story here) but there are huge chunks of time during that period in my life I simply do not remember.  It's like a black hole in my brain.  Since then, I have had a harder time remembering things, and I was known for having a good recall for events or highly specific information on subjects that interested me.  I struggle at times to stay focused on a task and will sometimes forget what I was supposed to be doing in mid-task.  I've joked that I suffered from "Swiss cheese brain", but it has dawned on me that although my memory has improved, it is still not the same.

What scares me about this article is that some of these medications are used regularly by people of all ages to aid with sleep and to relieve allergy symptoms.  I know of people who take Benadryl® pretty much every day! I also know that some of the over-the-counter sleep aids, such as Unisom® and Tylenol PM®, are advised for women who are pregnant.  There may be another reason for "preggo brain" besides just hormones.

Most of us don't take the list of potential side effects of a medication very seriously - unless we happen to experience one or more of them.  However, this article goes to show that there may be other issues with medications that don't express themselves immediately or in ways that we could easily connect.  Memory loss in an elderly population is considered a "normal" function of aging, so it would have to take an astute group of physicians and caregivers to notice a systematic set of changes in a population using these medications. 

I was in my early 30s when I took those medications for my bladder, so my memory loss would not be considered "normal."  What's interesting is that I had said to people like my doctor and my husband that I knew the drugs had somehow altered my brain, but simply chalked it up to the fact that any drug in powerful doses and in combination with each other had to have an affect over time.

I'll be interested to see if any of these drug manufacturers will begin listing "may cause long-term cognitive impairment" on their warning labels.  Somehow, I doubt it.  We have a very large aging population of Baby Boomers who are using more of these medications and there's no way pharmaceutical companies want to lose out on all of that potential revenue.  Besides, people who take any of these medications regularly simply won't remember that side effects include memory loss.  Think about that the next time you're having difficulty getting to sleep.  Instead of reaching for the Unisom®, try a glass of warm milk or Sleepytime Tea instead. 

Photo credit: Fillmore Photography

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