Harvard-trained doctors have identified which drugs can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Joshua Herman, a Florida-based emergency medical doctor, said taking three prescription and over-the-counter medications at high doses over the long term can lead to brain damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Allergic drugs such as Benadryl and Zyrtec, for example, can block brain pathways that control memory and learning when photographed daily.
Additionally, taking sedatives like barium and Xanax benzodiazepines at once for years has been shown to reduce the brain’s memory center, which can lead to dementia.
Also, some studies suggest that cholesterol-lowering statins, taken by 92 million Americans, can damage the part of the brain that Alzheimer’s disease first attacks after years of use.
However, Dr. Hermann emphasizes talking to a doctor first before halting prescription medication. This is because it can lead to weakening withdrawal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills.
By moving away from statins, you suddenly experience a sudden surge in cholesterol, increasing the risk of suffering from a heart attack.
Dr. Joshua Hermann (left) appeared in a Tiktok video last week with neuroscientist Robert Love (right). They discussed drugs that could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of neurological disorders that affect memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive abilities.
An estimated 6.7 million Americans lived with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2023, according to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association. Dr. Hermann’s warning is that the number is expected to double by 2060.
Talk in Tiktok Video Along with neuroscientist Robert Love, Hermann pointed out antihistamines as one type of drug that could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The most popular examples available on the market or on prescription include benadril, Zyrtec, claritin, and clarinex.
Antihistamines block the effects of histamine, a chemical that is released by the body during an allergic reaction.
However, antihistamines like benadryl have also been shown to block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter Dr. Hermann points out that “is extremely important for neurotransmission.”
Acetylcholine transmits messages from the brain to the body through neurons, controlling memory-like functions.
Drugs like benadryl are considered anticholinergic.
Alzheimer’s disease patients have shown low acetylcholine in their brains.
1 2016 Survey Of the more than 450 adults, patients taking anticholinergic drugs were found to have higher levels of brain atrophy or waste than brain atrophy or waste, which are signs of dementia.
Dr. Hermann said:
“If you take something like Benadril every night, it actually slowly leads to brain damage.”
Common allergic drugs like benadril can block important brain pathways for memory, Dr. Hermann said (stock image)
Dr. Hermann also pointed to benzodiazepines called “benzos” or “downers.”
These include the prescription drugs Barium, Xanax, Atiban and Chronopin.
Benzodiazepines act as sedatives and slow down brain and nervous system activity by activating the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA).
a Research published last year Of the more than 5,000 elderly people, it was suggested that benzodiazepine use is associated with reduced brain memory centers, hippocampus, and amygdala.
These regions of the brain naturally shrink with age, but the process appeared to occur faster in patients with benzodiazepines.
This can cause symptoms of dementia, such as memory loss.
The study author wrote, “It is important to carefully consider the need for long-term use of benzodiazepines in light of their detrimental potential effects on brain health.”
Dr. Hermann warned him not to quit these medications altogether and suggested instead talking to a doctor to avoid withdrawal.
Another study Researchers in France and Canada found that people who took benzodiazepines for 3 to 6 months had a 32% increase in their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
People who have been using any of these drugs for more than six months had an increased risk of 84%.
The use of chronic benzodiazepines has also been shown to reduce brain neuroplasticity, or the ability to change or adapt over time.
This can break down brain neurons over time, leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Hermann also warned against the long-term use of statins, a drug taken by 92 million Americans to lower cholesterol.
Statins function by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, which produces cholesterol.
Although statins and Alzheimer’s disease science are mixed, several recent reports have shown that drugs can lead to cognitive problems.
1 2021 Research Patients with mild cognitive impairment – Patients who are precursors of Alzheimer’s disease were more than twice as likely to develop dementia after taking statins like lipophilic acid statins like lipitol than these drug therapies.
The researchers said this was because the scan showed that these patients had reduced the posterior cingulate cortex, the area of the brain that is most affected by early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, other studies suggest that statins may protect against Alzheimer’s disease, so the studies are still mixed.
