In April, 2010 the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published online a Wake Forest study of nursing home residents who were taking medications for dementia – donepezil (Aricept), glantamine (Razdyne), rivatigmine (Exelon), and tacrine (Cognex) — as well as anticholingeric medications for incontinence.
People taking both types of medications experienced functional decline 50% faster than those people who were only receiving medications for dementia.
The study suggests that physicians should carefully consider the implications when prescribing anticholinergic medications to older adults.