# So ... Benadryl makes you demented - New research **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 5, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852 "2015-02-05T01:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/1 "2015-02-05T01:03:30Z")
[‘Strongest Evidence Yet’ Links Anticholinergic Drugs, Dementia](http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/838788) > [@](#): > > A new study provides the strongest evidence that anticholinergic drugs may increase the risk for dementia in older adults. > > The drugs implicated are commonly used, estimated to be taken by about 20% of the older adult population for many conditions. They include popular antihistamines sold over the counter as sleep aids, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl, McNeil-PPC Inc), or for allergy relief, such as chlorpheniramine; oxybutynin and tolterodine for overactive bladder; and the tricyclic antidepressants, such as doxepin or amitriptyline, even when used at low doses for migraine prevention or neuropathic pain. > > The study, published online in JAMA Internal Medicine on January 26, was conducted by a team led by Shelly Gray, PharmD, University of Washington, Seattle. > > “We found an obvious dose-response relationship between anticholinergic drug use and risk of developing dementia: the higher the usage, the greater the risk,” Dr Gray commented to Medscape Medical News. > > Even Low Doses Implicated > > But people taking just the minimum effective dose of these agents for prolonged periods qualified as having high use and were found to be at greater risk for dementia compared with those not taking such medicines. > > “This is not excessive use,” Dr Gray said. “Many of these agents are used chronically, and chronic use — even at low doses — would put you in the highest risk category.” > > She said that although previous studies have linked anticholinergic agents to cognitive problems, the general population and even most doctors were unaware of the issue. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/2 "2015-02-05T01:09:28Z")
Does this mean the stuff you can turn into meth is safer? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/3 "2015-02-05T01:13:37Z")
That link requires an account. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/4 "2015-02-05T01:14:55Z")
Well, that’s great. I took a fair amount of diphenhydramine as an allergy relief when I was young (before the anti-drowsy ones came along) and in the last few months have been using it a a sleep aid 2 or 3 nights a week. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/5 "2015-02-05T01:15:32Z")
Yes, it sucks, but sometimes managing one chronic medical condition puts you at risk for another. That’s why people shouldn’t take any drugs recreationaly. On the other hand, for someone such as myself for whom allergies can be incapacitating or even life-threatening on occasion, future risk of dementia does not eliminate the problem of being able to survive and function in the present. Prevention of dementia in my 80’s is of little consequence if I die in my 40’s from a runaway allergic reaction. Likewise, migraines, neuropathic pain, and yes, even incontinence are also significant, chronic problems with a potentially severe impact on a patient’s life. Again, preventing dementia in one’s 80’s seems irrelevant when one is confined to bed and vomiting from a migraine in the present, and endure them on a monthly or even more frequent basis. And so on. In other words, there are trade-offs. The longer you live the more likely you are to have multiple systems malfunction. Definitely, being informed and knowledgeable about the risks is important and I fully support more research in this area but people aren’t going to stop taking drugs for allergies, migraines, various forms of pain, etc. because they MIGHT cause problems several decades down the line. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/6 "2015-02-05T01:52:37Z")
One shouldn’t overreact to a single paper, either. I can’t comment on what is in the paper, though, since an account is required to access the OP’s link. Also, this [Louis CK sketch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzEhoyXpqzQ) comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/7 "2015-02-05T02:28:18Z")
[Here’s another link.](http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/2015/02/anticholinergic-warning.html) There are lots of them out there. And [here’s the article abstract (you may have to sit through an ad first).](http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2091745) It’s not just Benadryl, by the way. Personally, I find Benadryl invaluable for dealing with allergic reactions - mine aren’t deadly, but they can make me quite miserable and sometimes trigger asthma attacks. Between that, and my insomnia issues, I’m not quitting Benadryl because of one paper in JAMA. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/8 "2015-02-05T02:40:09Z")
The article makes me wonder about my father’s dementia, because he took benedryl daily for years and years. And it makes me worry about me because, though I quit the benedryl, I am on one of the listed anti-depressants and sometimes have to take other drugs on this list to help deal with my allergies and asthma. Dad was diagnosed with aphasia in his late sixties and passed away at 76 while in a nursing home for his dementia. I think it had actually begun to show itself about 20 years previous though. And, well, it makes me question myself every time I can’t find a word or forget where I’m headed. That stuff happens more often lately. It’s on my list to follow up on this stuff, and to talk to my doctor about it. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/9 "2015-02-05T04:13:27Z")
Dammit. I just started taking Doxepin and finding it really helpful. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/10 "2015-02-05T04:34:15Z")
Is this saying that older adults currently taking anti-cholinergics are at greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia, or that use over your lifetime increases the risk of dementia when you are older? And why does it say opiates are anti-cholinergics? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/11 "2015-02-05T13:05:26Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Is this saying that older adults currently taking anti-cholinergics are at greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia, or that use over your lifetime increases the risk of dementia when you are older? The abstract said that it involved people who had been using such drugs in the prior 10 years, so they didn’t look at over the entire lifetime, but it would imply this concerned exposure before old age. I wonder if the conditions associated with such drugs are also associated with increased risk of dementia? Is this a matter of correlation does not mean causation? ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/12 "2015-02-05T14:23:13Z")
I’d rather have the hallucinations you reportedly get at 100 mg or so. \*\* (Obviously, do not try this at home.)\*\* Joking aside, I guess I need to line up housing for when my dementia hits. Benadryl is often the only thing that works for my allergies, and I’m using an anticholinergic to stop the “gotta pee!” feeling that comes with barreling toward menopause. > [@](#): > > **Broomstick:** > > I wonder if the conditions associated with such drugs are also associated with increased risk of dementia? Is this a matter of correlation does not mean causation? I really hope for option 2… ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/13 "2015-02-05T14:34:59Z")
The impression I get is that there is about a 50% higherbincidence of dementia among the heavier users. That is what I saw at least. Among people age 65+, every five years will double your risk of alzheimers. At 65 it is about 5%, by 85 it is 50%. So does that mean by age 85 the vast majority of users have alzheimers, or does it more mean that users have brains that have risk factors of brains 3 years older? Does a 70 yo user have the same alzheimers risks as a 73 year old non user since someone three years older has about a fifty percent higher risk? Also how problematic is the alzheimers? Meaning, there are stages. Are these people undergoing mild cognitive symptoms until they die of something else or are they going to end up in stages 6 or 7 before dying? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/14 "2015-02-05T19:57:57Z")
Woe am I. I’m 69, and have been taking 150 mg of Amitriptyline every night, for about 30 years, and occasional Benadryl as well. And my father and two of his siblings died from Alzheimer’s. He had taken tons of Benadryl for allergies. Coincidentally, it was just last week that I quit the Amitriptyline, just to see whether I really needed it. I don’t notice any difference whatsoever. Moderate dementia is a slippery diagnosis. I definitely don’t have the mental acuity of my youth, but to some extent that’s normal. I wish I could still spell and do math in my head, but it’s pretty normal for those skills to diminish. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/15 "2015-02-05T20:26:42Z")
> **[Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease, study suggests](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827131801.htm)** > > Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists suggests. Chase that Benadryl with a hit of weed. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/16 "2015-02-05T20:37:26Z")
A few [caveats](http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/01January/Pages/media-dementia-scare-about-common-drugs.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/17 "2015-02-05T20:45:24Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > The article makes me wonder about my father’s dementia, because he took benedryl daily for years and years. And it makes me worry about me because, though I quit the benedryl, I am on one of the listed anti-depressants and sometimes have to take other drugs on this list to help deal with my allergies and asthma. > > Dad was diagnosed with aphasia in his late sixties and passed away at 76 while in a nursing home for his dementia. I think it had actually begun to show itself about 20 years previous though. And, well, it makes me question myself every time I can’t find a word or forget where I’m headed. That stuff happens more often lately. It’s on my list to follow up on this stuff, and to talk to my doctor about it. Dementia is a strong genetic component on my mother’s side, so I had many of the same concerns as you. I asked my doctor about it. He told me, “It’s not when you forget where your car keys are. It’s when you forget what they’re for.” That’s been a useful and calming guidepost for me as I approach the Danger Years. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/18 "2015-02-05T21:41:23Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > A few [caveats](http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/01January/Pages/media-dementia-scare-about-common-drugs.aspx). People who feel the urge to jump on the fear wagon owe it to themselves to read this. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/19 "2015-02-06T04:06:03Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > People who feel the urge to jump on the fear wagon owe it to themselves to read this. Having read that stuff and then looked up the composition of the drugs I deal with, and having had recent episodes that could be connected has put me on the caution wagon. I’m not racing to my doc to talk about it this week but it is on the list to discuss at my next appt. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852/20 "2015-02-06T13:12:16Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > People who feel the urge to jump on the fear wagon owe it to themselves to read this. Nothing in that article has assuaged my concerns. In some respects my concerns have increased. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-benadryl-makes-you-demented-new-research/711852.md?page=2)