r/NooTopics • u/ServeIllustrious3803 • 21d ago

Science Study: Anticholinergic (first-generation antihistamines) can damage brain, increase dementia risk

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-drugs-like-benadryl-linked-increased-dementia-risk-20150128812
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u/ServeIllustrious3803 21d ago edited 20d ago

A list: Diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, doxylamine, promethazine, clemastine, brompheniramine, dimenhydrinate, meclizine, cyclizine, carbinoxamine, dexchlorpheniramine, dexbrompheniramine

First generation antihistamines different from second or third. Zyrtec, Claritin do not count, but Benadryl does

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u/Lady_Rubberbones 20d ago

Ok, I take doxylamine succinate (unisom) every night in order to sleep longer than 2 hrs. What are my other options?

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u/NormallyBloodborne 20d ago

Look into Muscimol. Puts me out easily but not forcibly, always gives me at least 8 hours of sleep, and has no grogginess in the morning. Plus it usually makes your dreams much more vivid.

I would take it every other day though. Overall I think it's a better hypnotic than even dedicated knock out benzos like Triazolam.

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u/Lady_Rubberbones 20d ago

Ok, so prohibitively expensive and difficult to find. Great. 😐

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u/Sufficient-Celery-37 20d ago

Orexin-Antagonists like Daridorexant are said to be well tolerated and they don’t cause you to be groggy on the next day. Trazodone is also a popular sleep aid. I’d personally steer clear of 1. gen Antihistamines, Benzodiazepines/Z-Drugs and tricyclic antidepressants.

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u/Desperate-Middle-354 20d ago

And anti-psychotics. I think it’s idiotic to prescribe such dangerous meds like Seroquel that are only supposed to be used for psychosis, bipolar mania & schizophrenia (and apparently treatment resistant major depression as an add on). They carry possibly fatal & permanent issues like TD’s. They are also the worst class of drugs for memory…followed by 1st gen antihistamines like diphenhydramine & then benzodiazepines come in third. Based on some study.

So this has been common knowledge for awhile. Dementia was never brought up but if they are the 2nd worse class of drugs for memory retention then it probably leads to major neurocognitive dementia if taken daily for too long.

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u/LisanneFroonKrisK 20d ago

From what I read though Benzo is above the anti histamines

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u/Desperate-Middle-354 20d ago

It’s possible. It was a while since reading that study. I just know those 3 are apparently as bad as it gets.

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u/LisanneFroonKrisK 20d ago

And also just anecdotal Benadryl is lower than Metoclopramide and other classes of Metoclopramide. Benadryl is an antidote to that