Posted on 06/22/2021 6:02:53 AM PDT by blam
Older adults who use certain blood pressure drugs may retain more of their memory skills as they age, a new study suggests.
Researchers found the benefit among older people taking medications that are allowed past the "blood-brain barrier," which is a border of specialized cells that prevents toxic substances from crossing into the brain.
Those drugs include certain ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) — two major classes of blood pressure medication.
Among nearly 12,900 study patients, those taking the brain-penetrating medications showed less memory loss over three years, versus people on blood pressure drugs that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.
The findings add another layer to the connection between blood pressure and brain health.
High blood pressure is considered a risk factor for dementia, and there is evidence that tight blood pressure control lowers the risk of cognitive impairment — declines in memory and thinking skills — as people age.
The new study was published June 21 in the journal Hypertension.
It suggests that brain-penetrating medications may bring an "added benefit" beyond that of lowering blood pressure, said senior researcher Daniel Nation.
"I think this effect is independent of blood pressure control," said Nation, an associate professor at the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, Irvine.
Both ACE inhibitors and ARBs act on the body's renin-angiotensin system, which is key in blood pressure regulation.
But the brain, Nation explained, has its own renin-angiotensin system, separate from the body's. Research suggests that this system is involved in learning and memory — and that it's "altered" in Alzheimer's disease.
No one is discounting that blood-pressure lowering benefits the brain, Nation stressed.
A 2018 trial called SPRINT-MIND found that "intensive" control of high blood pressure lowered older adults' risk of mild cognitive impairment...
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
It mentioned Reagan and Thatcher who said they only slept 4-6 hours a night.
I take Losartan daily for high blood pressure.
I remember hearing that Regan slept about 10 hours a night. I think the press made fun of him for it.
I take Valsartan for blood pressure, which is one of those ARBs.
I’m of Ramipril. If it helps memory ...hate to think what my memory would be if I wasn’t. Going downhill. :-)
I recently have had to take chlorthalidone for BP. 6 hours is the norm for me.
If that’s the case I should be well-protected. I have to take huge doses of three different blood pressure medications in order to manage my aortic dissection. They keep my brain in a fog, among other things, but I’ve gotten somewhat used to them.
I take Valsartran too and it’s... uhm, uh... it helps with... I’m sorry, when does the marijuana dispensary open?
Oh yeah, I need to get more pie.
Interesting as I take that as well.
I’m sleeping only 4-6 hours per evening as I wake up constantly, although I’m in bed for 8 hours. Anyone care to share the secret of getting 8 hours sleep?
Trying my hardest to stay off of BP meds. Dad had high BP, but he also had a cr@ppy diet and a sedentary life.
Mom has low BP, and I fall in between them. I am currently on a mild diuretic per my Doc at the VA.
Walking more, cutting out the booze and carbs, cut out caffeine, the usual.
So far, so good.
I'm up 2-3 times a night. Sometimes I just 'give-up' and stay up for an hour or two. But, I do get 8+ hours of sleep every night.
Some of the medicines that say take at bed time, I take them with lunch. Then I have a 1-1/2 hour nap everyday after lunch.
I'm 77 and take a long hike in the woods with my dogs every morning, everyday! When I don't take the hike, I don't sleep well that night. Exercize is very important.(aerobic type)
I just lost 20 pounds over the last two months by reducing carbs and quantity.
My blood pressure plunged...I reduced my daily dose of BP medicine by 50% as a consequence
Atenolol
Common brands: Tenormin
I take the above and had an interesting and not happy several weeks with this drug last fall right after Thanksgiving.
For years I took the drug in the morning.
Three separate events changed that.
1.The articles about how cardiac drugs protected us better when taken at night. So I started taking the drug at night instead of the morning.
2. We had fairly chilly nights and basically kept our windows at night opened a few inches in our master BR.
3. So I changed to taking it at night and my PPO changed the generic manufacturer and used its package insert more on this later.
4. I started having chills in my feet and hands shortly after being in bed. Then, about mid night to 3 am, I had severe hot spells with hands/feet at first and then my whole body. If my wife and I were lucky we got some fairly good sleep from 3:30 am to 6 am ish, then we woke up and got out of bed.
I read the new package insert and there was basically zero warning about hot or cold flashes. So I didn’t equate the flashes to the new form of Atenolol.
During this time, my short term memory was going to hell.
Again nothing in the package inserts of any drug I was taking.
About 3 months ago, I got a heads up from a relative with a medical background to do a google search on each of my drugs and not depend on their package insert.
There was basically nothing about the flashes on every drug I was taking with the exception of Atenolol.
Hot and cold flashes were at the top of every Google search as common/severe side effects re Atenolol.
So I switched back from taking Atenolol at bedtime to early morning. Within a few days, the hot/cold flashes went away.
If I still have them in the daytime, I take off a layer of clothes if I’m having hot flashes or add a vest like now if I’m having cold flashes.
Back to good sleep and my short term memory lapses are basically gone.
“... added benefit beyond that of lowering blood pressure...”
It probably cures Wuhan too. Everything cures Wuhan except Remdisivir and Windex
Good to hear. Thanks for the input.
A clear conscience :-)
A friend of ours said that, at dinner, years ago.
Good medicine.
I am part of your club. I survived a dissected triple A. I had brain fog prior to the event which was exacerbated by "pump head" from the surgery. At a later date however, it was discovered I had a defective parathyroid which was causing excess calcium retention. Long story short, removal of the bad parathyroid resulted in clearance of the brain fog. It may behoove you to have your parathyroids checked out. Of course your milage may vary.
it’s probably not the best way, but in addition to aerobic walks before bed, I have been taking 1 benadryl tablet just before bed.
It lets me relax so I don’t hear as noises as much when I do go to sleep. I am very reactive to noises and movements and will wake at the drop of a hat, ‘literally”.
My bride and I both have better short term memory if we have a good night’s sleep.
It must work. I too take Losartan daily for high blood pressure and some other medicine that’s name I can’t remember.
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