Concern at drugs threat to pensioners

Hundreds of thousands of older people who take common drugs could be at increased risk of mental decline and death, research suggests.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jun 2011, 07:00 BST

A study of 13,000 people found risks from over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including some antihistamines, painkillers, blood thinners and eye drops for glaucoma.

Researchers say well-known side-effects of the drugs could have an impact on the brain, increasing the risk of decline and death.

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They analysed more than 80 drugs for “anticholinergic activity”, a potential side effect which affects the brain by blocking a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

The drugs were ranked from one to three according to the strength of this activity, with drugs scoring one having a mild effect, two a moderate effect and three causing the most serious concern.

Taking a combination of drugs – such as four scored at one each – increased the risks, with experts saying the threshold for damage in patients was a total score of about four.

The risk was cumulative, based on the number of drugs taken and the strength of each drug’s effect.

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Some of the most dangerous (score three) drugs are commonly available, including the antihistamines chlorphenamine (used in the brand Piriton) and promethazine (used in Phenergan), anti-depressants amitriptyline (used in several brands) and paroxetine (used in Seroxat) and the incontinence drug oxybutynin (used in Ditropan).

The blood thinner warfarin scored 1 as did heartburn drug ranitidine (used in the brand Zantac), alongside painkiller codeine and timolol maleate eye drops.

Led by experts at the University of East Anglia (UEA), the study involved people aged 65 and over from across the UK. It was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.