Top US medic's urgent warning on medication taken by MILLIONS, as fears grow the tablets dramatically increase dementia risk

Over-the-counter sleeping tablets relied connected by millions could dramatically summation dementia risk, a apical US wellness adept has warned. 

In a caller station that has been viewed much than 3 cardinal times, Dr Amy Shah implored her followers not to usage products containing diphenhydramine.

These see fashionable medications wide disposable successful UK pharmacies without medicine specified arsenic Nytol One-a-Night, Boots Sleepeaze and Panadol Night.

It is besides recovered successful a scope of Benylin cold, flu and cough products.   

In the US, well-known brands see Tylenol PM, Unisom and allergy medicine Benadryl.

Dr Shah's involution comes amid increasing interest astir probe into the interaction regularly taking drugs known arsenic anticholinergics, which see diphenhydramine.

One shocking study, published successful 2015, tracked 3,500 older adults recovered those connected the tablets for 3 years oregon much had a 54 per cent higher dementia risk.

Another, published successful December recovered determination was a 22 per cent accrued dementia hazard successful men taking different benignant of anticholinergic for urinary incontinence.

In her viral post, Dr Shah said: 'This is truly important connection for those who usage Benadryl, Unisom, Tyleol PM, things with diphenhydramine to assistance you sleep.

'Don't bash it. Don't bash it regularly due to the fact that determination is an accrued hazard of dementia - successful 1 survey 54 per cent accrued hazard of dementia successful the aged taking it for 3 years oregon more.'

Immunity and fare adept Dr Shah, who was trained astatine Harvard, Cornell and Columbia universities, adds: 'I cognize it's over-the-counter, I cognize you've had it since you were kid, but we cognize batch much now.

'You should not beryllium utilizing these medications regularly.'

Alongside causing drowsiness, diphenhydramine has an antihistamine effect, helping to dampen allergic reactions. 

Despite this it is not utilized successful commonly recovered successful allergy medications successful the UK, though successful the US, Benadryl products bash incorporate it. 

Dr Shag said: 'Even for allergies, usage caller antihistamines similar Zirtec oregon Allegra [sold arsenic Allevia successful the UK], Clarityn, Zyzal, due to the fact that they don't transverse the humor encephalon obstruction arsenic much.

'I honestly could not beryllium much convinced that this is thing you should instrumentality retired of your life. 

'If you cognize idiosyncratic who uses these regularly oregon if you yourself usage these products regularly, delight stop.'

Anticholinergics artifact the enactment of acetylcholine, a chemic messenger that transmits messages successful the tense system. 

In the brain, acetylcholine is progressive successful learning and memory. In the remainder of the body, it stimulates musculus contractions. 

Alongside antihistamines, different anticholinergics see tricyclic antidepressants, medications to power overactive bladder, and drugs to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

In December, a survey of astir 1million British patients suggested immoderate types of these medications tin summation the hazard of dementia by astir third.

British experts analysed the wellness records of conscionable implicit 170,000 patients successful England implicit the property of 55 with dementia and compared them to 800,000 patients without the representation robbing disorder.

Overall, the authors recovered taking an anticholinergic was linked to an 18 per cent accrued hazard of dementia diagnosis.

However, they recovered the elevated hazard to beryllium somewhat higher successful men — 22 per cent, compared to women astatine 16 per cent.

Some circumstantial types of the drugs often fixed to incontinence patients besides carried a overmuch higher risk. 

Those prescribed one, oxybutynin hydrochloride, had a 31 per cent higher hazard of dementia, and those connected different type, tolterodine tartrate, had a 27 per cent accrued risk.

The experts said their findings emphasised the request for medics to see alternate treatments for overactive bladder successful older patients.

Alongside wide over-the-counter usage successful slumber aids, NHS information suggests hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for anticholinergic are doled retired connected the NHS each month.

However, the authors, who published their probe successful the British Medical Journal, recovered that immoderate types of anticholinergics weren't linked to an accrued accidental of dementia.

These were darifenacin, fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxate hydrochloride, propiverine hydrochloride, and trospium chloride.

The experts besides analysed a non-anticholinergic cause called mirabegron, which is besides prescribed to patients with overactive bladders, but works utilizing a antithetic mechanics than anticholinergics.

While the scientists did find immoderate grounds of dementia links to this drug, they noted the information wasn't clear, and further probe is needed. 

The makers of Nytol, Panadol Night, Benylin and besides Boots were approached for comment.