Study: Common drugs dangerous together

LONDON, June 24 (UPI) -- Older people taking a combination of common medicines to treat routine conditions may risk death or dementia, a British study says.

Researchers say some well-known brands of allergy tablets, painkillers and sleeping pills, many available over-the-counter, constitute a previously unrecognized health risk when taken in combination, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Some common bladder medications, heart drugs, eye drops and asthma treatments were also found to be possible risks, the newspaper reported.

All of the drugs in question work by blocking an important chemical in the nervous system called acetylcholine.

Previous research has found that an excess of acetylcholine-blocking drugs can have a harmful effect on the brain and its function.

The study found that older patients who took a combination of such drugs had a 20 per cent chance of dying within two years, compared with just 7 per cent for over-65s who did not take anything.

"What is really the problem is the additive effect," said researcher Ian Maidment, a pharmacist at Kent University. "It is the cumulative burden, which is very damaging."

The risk is that many patients may be regularly taking over-the-counter drugs their doctor is unaware of or which they do not really need that increase their dosage up to a dangerous level, researchers said.