Studies have shown that some antidepressants or associated dementia

british study suggests that long-term use of some common anticholinel antidepressants, such as amitin and paroxetine, may be linked to dementia. The researchers have not determined a causal relationship between the two and recommend that doctors choose the drug carefully when they are prescription.
The study, led by the University of East Anglia, looked at the prescriptions of more than 40,000 people aged 65 and over and nearly 284,000 people without dementia and found that they had been diagnosed with dementia after taking anticholinel antidepressants for some time. Specifically, patients who started taking these drugs four to 20 years ago had a 3 percent higher risk of developing dementia than their peers who did not.
, the researchers wrote in a paper published in the latest issue
, there is no determination of a causal relationship between the two. Early symptoms of dementia include depression and urinary incontinence, so it is not ruled out that some people taking antidepressants are already in the early stages of dementia when they start taking them. However, there is a "dose reaction" between the two, i.e. the higher the dose, the higher the risk of diagnosed dementia.
anticholinel drugs relieve muscle spasms in the bladder, stomach, eyes, etc. by blocking parts of nerve impulses to relieve symptoms of depression or Parkinson's disease. Known side effects include short-term blurring of consciousness and increased risk of falling. One in five people in the UK who take antidepressants take anticholinel, which is more common, the Guardian reported.
recommend that patients taking anticholinel drugs do not stop without consulting a doctor. (Source: Xinhuanet Wang Xinfang)