What the drugs do
Medications for over-active bladders include pills called anticholinergics.
They reduce activity in certain muscles to stop bladder contractions.
This can ease spasms linked to incontinence and frequent urination.
But new research suggests a possible dementia risk.
What the study found
A study on almost 1million Brits examined dementia links.
Experts analysed records of just over 170,000 dementia patients in England.
All were over the age of 55.
They compared them with 800,000 people without dementia.
Overall, anticholinergics linked to an 18 per cent higher dementia diagnosis risk.
The risk looked higher in men at 22 per cent.
Women showed a 16 per cent increase.
Some drugs carried a bigger rise.
Higher-risk medicines
Those prescribed oxybutynin hydrochloride had a 31 per cent higher dementia risk.
Those on tolterodine tartrate had a 27 per cent increased risk.
NHS data suggests the health service issues hundreds of thousands monthly.
OpenPrescribing records about 110,000 oxybutynin prescriptions per month.
Drugs not linked, and one unclear case
The study found no increased risk with darifenacin or trospium chloride.
It also listed fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxate hydrochloride, and propiverine hydrochloride.
Researchers also analysed mirabegron, which works differently.
They saw some evidence, but said the data was not clear.
What experts urged
Clinicians need to “take into account the possible long term risks and consequences”.
Doctors should “consider prescribing alternative treatments that might be associated with a lower risk of dementia,” they added.
The study had limits, including missing dosage details and record gaps.
The authors published the research in the British Medical Journal.