New research from Sweden has shown that combinations of prescribed drugs may influence sex-specific brain function. 

Polypharmacy – taking five or more medications together – is common among older adults.  

Researchers at EARA member Karolinska Institute tested different combinations of commonly prescribed drugs – including analgesics, anti-depressants and cardiovascular medications – on mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.  

In male mice, the combination of five drugs – paracetamol, aspirin, citalopram, simvastatin and metoprolol – improved memory and brain inflammation, and also reduced the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Female mice, however, showed no improvement.  

When some of these drugs – simvastatin and metoprolol – were replaced with drugs of the same class – atorvastatin and enalapril – female memory worsened and male improvements disappeared, showing sex-and drug-specific effects.  

Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the study suggests that drug effects may vary by sex, a variation that has been historically disregarded in research. Favourable drug combinations will now need to be tested in human clinical studies.