One way you can be your own advocate when it comes to your medications is calculating your anticholinergic burden score. Maybe I should tell you what that means first...
Anticholinergic mediations block the activity of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine carries messages from your brain to your body through nerve cells. These messages help control heart rate and blood pressure, aids in digestion, causes glands to secrete tears and saliva, controls urine release, and more. Oh, and did I mention acetylcholine also plays a role in memory?
Many medications have anticholinergic side effects. That means these medications stop acetylcholine from doing its job. The most common anticholinergic side effects include dry mouth, dry eyes, constipation, urinary retention, and tachycardia. In pharmacy school we learned a mnemonic to help remember anticholinergic side effects that goes like this: You can’t see, you can’t pee, you can’t spit, you can’t sh*t, and tachycardia! As cute as this little jingle is, anticholinergic side effects are nothing to mess around with. According to agingbraincare.org, each definite anticholinergic may increase the risk of cognitive impairment by 46% over 6 years! Not only that, a high anticholinergic score also puts you at risk for confusion, falls, and death.
So I encourage you to head to acbcalc.com and calculate your score. If you score a 3 or higher, please talk to your provider about ways to decrease your score to protect your brain, prevent falls, and decrease side effects.
As always, never make any changes to your medication regimen without the approval of your provider.
Ready to reduce your Anticholinergic burden? Schedule your initial consultation today.
Sources:
ClevelandClinic. Acetylcholine (ACh). December 30, 2022. Accessed November 1, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24568-acetylcholine-ach
ACBCALC, 2023 “Home”. Accessed November 1, 2023. acbcalc.com
AgingBrainCare. Accessed November 1, 2023. agingbraincare.org
Comments