If you have trouble remembering certain things, be aware that some prescription medications, as well as other over-the-counter medications, may be the underlying cause.
In the past, doctors associated memory loss and mental confusion with the aging process. Nevertheless, scientists say today that aging is not strongly linked to this memory loss. Indeed, they claim that the brain has the ability to reproduce new cells and reshape their connections over the course of life.
Many people are aware of the many causes that can impair memory, such as alcohol abuse, head trauma, smoking, lack of sleep, vitamin B12 deficiencies, or conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. . However, what many people do not know is that taking certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can also cause sequelae, such as memory problems, in the short and long term .
Unfortunately, there are an estimated 18,000 deaths per year related to the adverse effects of drugs, and about 150,000 annual hospitalizations.
Prescription drugs that cause many cognitive impairments, including memory loss, are divided into three categories:
Statins
They are used to regulate high cholesterol levels, even if they are dangerous and can cause brain damage. In fact, while the brain represents only 3% of the total body weight, it represents the body's fatest organ and contains a quarter of the cholesterol present in the body. Cholesterol is essential for memory, learning and thinking.
Sleeping tablets
During sleep, the neurons are restructured, and the brain plasticity is optimized, which is indeed an essential process for memorization. Some sleeping pills are known to disrupt this process (by depriving the brain of the restorative sleep that is necessary) and this brain plasticity, subsequently preventing the normal functioning of the brain (learning, memorizing ...)
Anti drugs
Medications beginning with the prefix "anti" as antidepressants, antibiotics, antispasmodics, antipsychotics ... affect the level of acetylcholine, the main neurotransmitter essential for learning and memorization, in the body. A low level of acetylcholine in the body causes blurred vision, hallucinations, mental confusion, delirium, dementia, memory loss, and other health problems. Drugs that block the effects of acetylcholine are called anticholinergics. Some of their side effects are:
- Oral dryness
- Blurred vision
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Mydriase (dilated pupil)
- tachycardia
- nausea
- Dyspepsia (functional digestive disorders)
- agitation
- Troubles with urination
- dizziness
- convulsions
- drugs that can cause memory loss
20 medications that lead to memory loss
Richard C. Mohs, Scientific Director of the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation in Washington DC, has listed 20 drugs that cause memory loss:
- steroids
- antibiotics
- Sleeping pills: zolpidem, zaleplon
- Insulin
- Antidepressants: Doxepine, Clomipramine
- Analgesics: Fentanyl, morphine
- barbiturates
- Antipsychotics: diazepines, benzisoxaloles
- Beta-blockers: carvedilol, metoprolol
- Medicines for hypertension: timolol, sotalol
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Antihistamines (allergic treatments): clemastine, diphenhydramine
- Drugs treating Parkinson's disease: pramipexole, ropinirole
- Epilepsy drugs: gabapentin, ezogabine,
- Benzodiazepines (psychotropic drugs)
- Anticholinergics: oxybutynin, solifenacin
- Antipsychotics: chlorpromazine, fluenpenthixol
- Hypocholesterolemiants: Lovastatin, Simvastatin
- methyldopa
- Anti-anxiety: Alprazolam, Clonazepam
If you take any of these medications, you should consult your doctor to see how they affect your memory. You could always change medicine, and go for a healthier choice. Remember that healthy eating and an active lifestyle are important contributors to improving brain health. Eat healthy, exercise, meditate, get enough sleep, hydrate, and relax as often as possible.
