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Do Your Meds Have Anticholinergics That Can Cause Avoidable Confusion?

The website Anticholinergic Burden Calculator was created by Dr. Heather King and Steve Rabino to help older adults realize the challenges that they may have from their medications having anticholinergics. From their website https://www.acbcalc.com/:

Medications with anticholinergic properties can be associated Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). Examples of such ADRs include dry eyes, urinary retention, dizziness, cognitive impairment and falls. The anticholinergic effect increases if a stronger anticholinergic is used, or if different anticholinergics are used in combination. Older patients are more likely to have multiple co- morbidities, and therefore to be on multiple medications. As the body ages, its ability to metabolise medications declines, the permeability of their blood-brain barrier increases and therefore older patients are more susceptible to the anticholinergic effects of their medications1-3.

We encourage you to explore the website and enter your medications into the online calculator.

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