Health

Crazy risk warning over common meds for UK readers

Published on June 26, 2025

Well, hold on to your prescriptions – a study from the University of Nottingham (backed by the NIHR) has flagged a worrying link between regular use of certain widely‑prescribed drugs and a hefty increase in dementia risk for people aged 55 and over. That “up to 50 percent” figure might sound like clickbait, but the research was large‑scale and published in JAMA Internal Medicine – so it’s no flash headline .

To put it plainly, those who’d taken strong anticholinergic meds daily for three years or more were almost 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than those who hadn’t. That’s equivalent to one anticholinergic daily, at standard dose, for three years or more. The study looked at medical records from nearly 59,000 people with dementia and around 225,000 who didn’t have it, all aged 55+ in the UK, between 2004 and 2016 urmc.

The biggest red flags were drugs like anticholinergic antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti‑Parkinson’s meds, bladder antimuscarinics and epilepsy treatments – users of these were at the highest risk. On the other hand, some other anticholinergics – such as antihistamines or gut medicines – didn’t show the same raised risk, reported Surrey Live.

Dr James Pickett from Alzheimer’s Society commented: “Our own researchers have already shown a strong link between anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia. This study builds on this information, showing that long‑term, high‑dose use increases risk of some dementias, particularly vascular dementia.” And, crucially:

“A shortcoming of this type of study is that from this information we can’t rule out whether the diseases that cause dementia might have already begun in the brains of people involved before they started taking these drugs”, reported Science Media Centre.

In other words, this is association rather than proven cause‑and‑effect. Still, the findings add weight to the existing guidance: GPs have been warned for some time to steer clear of anticholinergics in frail older adults because of memory and thinking issues, and now it looks like caution is warranted in anyone over 55 who’s on these meds long‑term.

Professor Tom Dening, one of the Nottingham team, reminded us that stopping the meds abruptly could do more harm than good, so anyone concerned should have a chat with their GP to weigh up the pros and cons. That’s echoed by Professor Carol Coupland, lead author of the study, who emphasised the need for regular medication reviews and for doctors to consider alternatives where possible – other antidepressants, different bladder‑problem treatments and so on.

Interestingly, the increased dementia risk was more marked in people whose diagnosis came before 80, suggesting even those in their middle years need to be alert to potential long‑term cognitive consequences. If there’s a causal link here, researchers reckon around 10 percent of dementia cases could be tied to anticholinergic use – that’s a sizable chunk.

Doctors and patients alike should treat this as a nudge to review prescriptions: are any anticholinergics truly necessary? Has the benefit outweighed the risk over time? But don’t chuck your tablets in the bin just yet – any changes must be done carefully and under medical supervision.

In short: a serious nudge to rethink long‑term use of certain anticholinergic meds, especially in your 50s, 60s and beyond. Better that your GP sits down with you for a proper med‑check, even if you’ve been stable on a prescription for years.

That’s the scoop in a nutshell. If you’re taking any meds that fall into these categories, it’s worth booking in a chat with your GP. Better safe than sorry.

Don’t Miss These: