These widely used medications can be especially harmful for older adults Want to keep your brain — or the brain of someone you love — as healthy as possible? Of course you do. So you’ve been learning about what to do: what kind of physical exercise to try, what kind of brain games to play, what kinds of foods to eat, what kinds of supplements to take, what kind of sleep to get. But you should also be learning what not to do. Specifically, you should learn what kinds of toxins to avoid to protect your brain’s health. And even if you are super-fit and never take any medications, it’s good to know what to help your friends and family avoid. As a doctor specialized in aging, I have noticed that even health-conscious people rarely know that many commonly used medications are bad for brain health. And I’m not just talking about habit-forming sedatives. Drugs like Valium do indeed harm the brain, but they’re much less often used than another class of brain-toxic drugs: the “anticholinergic” drugs. Warning Label Needed? These drugs are in everything from allergy medicines to muscle relaxants to painkillers. They are in many over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and they are often prescribed for a variety of common health complaints. I’ve never quite understood why there isn’t more of a brain health warning on these drugs. They block acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter in the body. This leads to lower brain function, which people often experience as sedation. Sometimes, that drowsiness is why people take the drugs, and a little sedation might sound benign. But if your brain is older, or otherwise vulnerable, don’t underestimate these drugs. Research has linked them to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and...
