Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs • Hacker News Board

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#11

Post by Zaheer » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:42 PM UTC

pdabbadabba wrote: post #4

Zaheer wrote: post #2

I stopped taking over-the-counter drugs years ago unless its vitally necessary. Common colds, allergies etc are not too difficult to bear in most circumstances and with the all the side-effects of pharma drugs I prefer to go with alternative medicines ex. local honey, lemons, etc.

> I prefer to go with alternative medicines ex. local honey, lemons, etc. These alternatives clearly have the advantage of being side-effect free for most people, but I have always been very skeptical about their effectiveness. Are there actually any reliable studies on the efficacy of local honey in treating allergies? And I thought that the role of vitamin C in warding off colds had been pretty well debunked. (I as…

There's quite a lot of anecdotal evidence in support of both. Lemons for colds are more a relief than a cure according to [1]. The way I tend to look at, people have survived/healed themselves for thousands of years prior to the advent of modern medicine. Some methods are not that effective while many others are even if due to a placebo effect.

A large part of staying healthy I believe is being preventative. Many 'normal' activities can actually be coined as cures to common ailments. Staying active, sleep, eating healthy, not over-eating etc.

[1] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in...

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#12

Post by silencio » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:42 PM UTC

k-mcgrady wrote: post #5

pdabbadabba wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prefer to go with alternative medicines ex. local honey, lemons, etc. These alternatives clearly have the advantage of being side-effect free for most people, but I have always been very skeptical about their effectiveness. Are there actually any reliable studies on the efficacy of local honey in treating allergies? And I thought that the role of vitamin C in warding off colds had been pretty well debunked. (I as…

I agree with the parent when it comes to things like the cold. I seriously don't understand people who take paracetamol and tons of other over the counter stuff for that. When it comes to allergies though (hay fever in my case) I can barely function without antihistamines (and with them I'm still a wreck). I haven't found any of the home remedies to be effective for it whereas in the case of the cold plenty of water…

> I seriously don't understand people who take paracetamol and tons of other over the counter stuff for that. When it comes to allergies though...

Isn't that exactly like the grandparent comment's "allergies etc are not too difficult to bear in most circumstances"? I, like you, have bad allergies and I can't live without Singulair+Zyrtec. But...

I've had three colds and one bout of bronchitis this season, and I took OTC meds including painkillers because I had unbearable sinus congestion/pain and headaches each time. I also ended up doubling down on my usual meds for allergies+asthma since that got worse too. Colds aren't all mild with no complications. I don't begrudge people seeking symptom relief.

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#13

Post by relaytheurgency » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:45 PM UTC

Zaheer wrote: post #11

pdabbadabba wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prefer to go with alternative medicines ex. local honey, lemons, etc. These alternatives clearly have the advantage of being side-effect free for most people, but I have always been very skeptical about their effectiveness. Are there actually any reliable studies on the efficacy of local honey in treating allergies? And I thought that the role of vitamin C in warding off colds had been pretty well debunked. (I as…

There's quite a lot of anecdotal evidence in support of both. Lemons for colds are more a relief than a cure according to [1]. The way I tend to look at, people have survived/healed themselves for thousands of years prior to the advent of modern medicine. Some methods are not that effective while many others are even if due to a placebo effect. A large part of staying healthy I believe is being preventative. Many 'no…

Prior to the advent of modern medicine people didn't heal themselves. They died at record rates from things that are minor inconveniences now.

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#14

Post by girvo » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:51 PM UTC

Somewhat unsurprising to me. I once accidentally overdosed on an anticholinergic drug, and it was the most unpleasant experience of my life. It was a combination of psychosis and hallucinations coupled with what I imagine dementia to be like. Hideous. Of course, expect the two to be linked in the long term is ridiculous on my behalf, but if it can have that effect in the short term...

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#15

Post by relaytheurgency » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:52 PM UTC

silencio wrote: post #12

k-mcgrady wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with the parent when it comes to things like the cold. I seriously don't understand people who take paracetamol and tons of other over the counter stuff for that. When it comes to allergies though (hay fever in my case) I can barely function without antihistamines (and with them I'm still a wreck). I haven't found any of the home remedies to be effective for it whereas in the case of the cold plenty of water…

> I seriously don't understand people who take paracetamol and tons of other over the counter stuff for that. When it comes to allergies though... Isn't that exactly like the grandparent comment's "allergies etc are not too difficult to bear in most circumstances"? I, like you, have bad allergies and I can't live without Singulair+Zyrtec. But... I've had three colds and one bout of bronchitis this season, and I took…

Taking medications that alleviate the symptoms of upper respiratory congestion also aid in preventing sinus infections down the road. Diminishing the effects of a cold has more benefit than just providing comfort, you are also helping to eliminate a breeding ground for nasty bacteria.

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#16

Post by eurleif » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:54 PM UTC

I wonder if choline supplementation would counteract this effect. In fact, I wonder if choline supplementation might help stave off dementia in general. As much as 90% of the population may be deficient in choline.[0]

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline#Groups_at_risk_for_chol...

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#17

Post by Zaheer » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:54 PM UTC

relaytheurgency wrote: post #13

Zaheer wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's quite a lot of anecdotal evidence in support of both. Lemons for colds are more a relief than a cure according to [1]. The way I tend to look at, people have survived/healed themselves for thousands of years prior to the advent of modern medicine. Some methods are not that effective while many others are even if due to a placebo effect. A large part of staying healthy I believe is being preventative. Many 'no…

Prior to the advent of modern medicine people didn't heal themselves. They died at record rates from things that are minor inconveniences now.

I'm mostly referring to symptoms and lesser illnesses such as colds, headaches, sores and such

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#18

Post by scott_s » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 9:58 PM UTC

Zaheer wrote: post #2

I stopped taking over-the-counter drugs years ago unless its vitally necessary. Common colds, allergies etc are not too difficult to bear in most circumstances and with the all the side-effects of pharma drugs I prefer to go with alternative medicines ex. local honey, lemons, etc.

I feel obligated to say that "alternative medicine" means treatment attempts that are not based on science or evidence.

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#19

Post by duwease » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 10:01 PM UTC

pdabbadabba wrote: post #10

marincounty wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That Placebo Effect is so strong I don't even bother to debunk natural remedies. Plus, I might be throwing the baby out with the bath water, but right now I'm very skeptical of a lot of pharmacuticals studies. They just lied to us so many times when it comes to the efficacy of their newest drug.

I get your skepticism, but does it not help that pharmaceutical studies are closely reviewed by the FDA before a drug can be marketed? Getting a new drug approved is far from easy.

Not nearly as much as you might think. Check out "Bad Pharma" by Ben Goldacre. It's a treatment of the statistical and legal tricks used by drug companies to overstate the efficacy of new drugs, without breaking any actual FDA regulations.

Even after using all the known tricks for cherry-picking results, p-hacking, and the like, there exist much-abused FDA 'fast track' options for getting a 'needed' drug out before the science is confirmed, and quite often the science never gets around to being confirmed. Even big-name drugs like Tamiflu have been shown later to be no better than generics at best and completely useless at worst.

Re: Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

#20

Post by relaytheurgency » Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 10:02 PM UTC

Zaheer wrote: post #17

relaytheurgency wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prior to the advent of modern medicine people didn't heal themselves. They died at record rates from things that are minor inconveniences now.

I'm mostly referring to symptoms and lesser illnesses such as colds, headaches, sores and such

An open wound was almost certainly a recipe for gangrene prior to antiseptics and antibiotics.