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NO doubt you’ve heard the warnings. Drugs to treat conditions of all shapes and sizes come with side effects – often unpleasant, dangerous, in rare cases life-threatening.
But a growing body of research suggests that certain treatments already available over-the-counter at your local pharmacy could actually benefit your brain.
There are jabs and medicines already available that can offer protection against dementia, studies suggest
A scientific study published in the journal Nature earlier this month suggested that the shingles jab, which is available on the NHS, could reduce your risk of dementia by 20 per cent.
Dementia was the UK’s leading cause of death for the 13th year in a row in 2023 – around 75,393 people died making up 11.4 per cent of all recorded deaths.
This shows a steady increase from 74,261 in 2022 and 69,178 in 2021, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Experts say this rise in deaths is partly down to better testing and diagnosis, as well as the inevitability of an ageing population.
But dementia has also been linked to lifestyle habits like smoking, heavy drinking, lack of exercise, and social isolation.
While lifestyle changes are crucial in the fight against dementia, some everyday medications and vaccines – like the shingles jab – could also help lower the risk.
But before you rush to the pharmacy Ian Budd, a pharmacist at Chemist4U, tells Sun Health that anyone thinking about trying these drugs should speak to their GP first.
“Don’t start using them specifically to lower your dementia risk,” he explains.
“There are potential negative side effects, and more scientific research is needed before these drugs can be recommended to treat the disease.”
So, how exactly could the shingles jab protect the brain, and are there other medicines that offer similar protection?
1. Shinges vaccines
SHINGLES is a painful skin rash caused by the same virus as chickenpox.
It usually starts with tingling or burning skin, followed by the telltale rash and blisters. Some people also get a fever or feel tired.
Scientists believe the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles may increase the risk of dementia.
Research by Stanford University in the US compared medical records from 280,000 people in Wales before and after the vaccine roll out began in 2013.
It found people who received the jab at age 79 were a fifth less likely to have dementia seven years later, in their mid-80s.
This adds to past findings that suggest the herpes viruses increase dementia risk and vaccination could offer protection.
“The protective effect of this jab may help stop viral infections that can harm the nervous system,” Pharmacist Ian says.
Until recently, experts believed dementia was mainly triggered by a build-up of harmful proteins in the brain.
But newer research suggests viruses that some cases of the disease may be triggered by viral or bacterial infections. Possibly by that travelling to the brain and triggering damage in brain cells.
Can I get it?
VACCINES to prevent shingles are already offered free on the NHS to everyone in their 70s.
Since 2023, it’s also being rolled out to people aged 65 and over, starting with those who turn 65 on or after September 1, 2023.
Anyone eligible should get a letter from their GP, but you can also check with your surgery if you’re unsure.
2. Ozempic
IT’S a drug that has dominated headlines – first as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, then as a weight-loss aid.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy – known as GLP-1 agonists – could offer benefits to tackle a range of other conditions, including dementia.
“There’s early research suggesting it might lower dementia risk, especially in people with diabetes, by reducing inflammation and keeping blood sugar levels stable,” Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, tells Sun Health.
A new review of 26 clinical trials involving more than 160,000 people found that these drugs may significantly reduce the risk of developing any type of dementia.
Diabetes may be a risk factor for dementia, so previous studies have suggested that just controlling blood sugar levels produces this protective effect.
But while most of these drugs didn’t reduce dementia risk, GLP-1 drugs did show a clear link to lower risk.
“Our findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists, in particular, may have a protective effect on brain health,” Dr Catriona Reddin, senior author of the study published in Jama Neurology this month, said.
Although the exact mechanism is still unclear, the drugs have been linked to reduced inflammation.
The tests you can do now to reduce dementia risk
Inflammation is increasingly being seen to be a significant contributor to a wide range of diseases.
By lowering this inflammation, the drugs may slow brain cell death, according to the researchers from the University of Galway in Ireland.
“More research is needed to understand exactly how semaglutide affects dementia risk and whether it could help people without diabetes in the future,” Ian says.
Can I get them?
NHS weight-loss drugs like Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro are only prescribed through specialist clinics to obese patients with weight-related health issues. GPs are not routinely allowed to prescribe them currently.
Privately, jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy can be offered to people who are overweight or obese and have at least one weight-related health risk.
But some clinics were criticised for being too lax, so checks like video or in-person appointments are now required.
Speak to your GP if you are looking to try these drugs, and don’t start using them to specifically lower your dementia risk… there are negative side effects, and more scientific research is needed before these drugs could potentially be recommended to treat the brain disease.
OZEMPICSemaglutide, known by brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, may have broader benefits for the body beyond just weight loss[/caption]
3. Viagra
AS it turns out, the little blue pill can do far more than just bolster your erection.
In June, Univeristy of Oxford scientists found the drug, also known as sildenafil, enhances the function of brain blood vessels in patients at increased risk of dementia.
They said the research could have the potential to transform the treatment and prevention of vascular dementia – which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain.
“It could be beneficial through reversing the small blood vessel dysfunction that occurs with age and is the most common cause of vascular dementia,” says Alastair Webb, a NHS consultant neurologist who led the study and a researcher at Imperial College London.
“By dilating smaller blood vessels, it could also help to reduce the stress on big blood vessels and reverse their increasing stiffness [with age], ” he said in the paper published in Circulation Research, last summer.
Can I get them?
YOU can get sildenafil on the NHS for free if you have erectile dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension.
Alternatively, you can buy sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, from a pharmacy after a chat with the pharmacist.
They’ll ask you some questions about your general health to make sure sildenafil is safe for you to take.
AlamyMen on Viagra may reduce their dementia risk[/caption]
4. TB jab
THE shingles vaccine might not be the only jab that can prevent dementia.
The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) jab has been used for over eight decades to protect children against tuberculosis (TB) could also slash people’s risk.
Though the vaccine was primarily developed to fight TB, experts have discovered it can help the body fend off and treat other illnesses, including bladder cancer.
Scientists now believe the 100-year-old shot could reduce inflammation in the brain, a precursor for dementia.
The revelation about the old jab emerged during a 2019 study, published in PLOS One. which analysed the health data of 1,371 people who had or had not received BCG as part of their treatment for bladder cancer.
Scientists from Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Centre in Jerusalem found that just 2.4 per cent of the patients treated with BCG developed Alzheimer’s over the following eight years, compared with 8.9 per cent of those not given the vaccine.
“Studies in older adults suggest it may have a protective effect on the brain, possibly by boosting the immune system in a way that helps protect brain cells,” Dr Suzanne says.
Can I get it?
THE BCG vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) is available on the NHS, but it’s not routinely offered to everyone.
It’s specifically recommended for individuals at higher risk of TB infection.
This includes people with certain health conditions, as well as babies and children.
In the UK, the BCG jab is part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme for babies at higher risk of TB.
It’s also offered to people planning to travel to countries where TB is more common.
5. Painkillers
POPPING cheap over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin can also lower the risk of developing the memory-robbing disease.
Dutch scientists found this class of drugs, called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications, which help with headaches, period pains, colds and arthritis – could help protect against dementia.
“Increasing evidence from experimental studies… suggests a central role of inflammatory processes in various pathologies underlying dementia,” researchers wrote in a study published to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, last month.
The team found that long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs was associated with a 12 per cent lower risk of developing dementia.
“While painkillers have been shown in studies to potentially prevent dementia, more evidence is needed,” Ian adds.
“People shouldn’t just take the drug with the hope of warding off the condition.
“They can be dangerous due to side effects like stomach bleeding or kidney problems.”
Can I get them?
YOU can buy ibuprofen and aspirin from most pharmacies and supermarkets.
You must be at least 16 years old to purchase them yourself, but a parent or guardian has to buy them on your behalf.
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia – the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s – comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn’t belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”
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