Every year, prescription drugs are responsible for more than 100,000 ⓓⓔⓐⓣⓗⓢ and lead to over 1.5 cases of hospitalized people who experienced severe side-effects. Adverse drug reactions are the top leading reason of ⓓⓔⓐⓣⓗ in the United States. Every prescription drug carries some risk, but one of the most common side-effects is memory loss.
3 Types of Medications That Cause Memory Loss
Any prescription drug falls into one of the three categories which are known to cause memory loss and many cognitive problems:
Sleeping Pills
Sleeping pills often lead to memory loss and cause a state similar to being in a coma or being drunk. Therefore, they do not restore the sleep needed for the body in order to repair itself.
For instance, Ambien, a popular ᴅʀᴜɢ, is known to be “the amnesia drug” as it leads to hallucinations, night terrors, sleep walking, and sleep driving.
Statin Drugs
These drugs are one of the most damaging drugs for the brain and are used to regulate the cholesterol levels. This is due to the fact that ¼ of the brain is composed of cholesterol, needed for thinking, memory, and learning. However, they also cause memory loss and similar adverse effects.
The “Anti” Drugs
All “anti” drugs, such as antihistamines, antibiotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antispasmodics, or antihypertensive affect the acetylcholine levels in the body, which is the main neurotransmitter needed for memory and learning.
Its low levels cause blurred vision, memory loss, dementia, delirium, mental confusion, and hallucinations.
Richard C. Mohs, former vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, composed the following list which includes 20 drugs which cause memory loss:
Antibiotics (quinolones)
Sleeping pills – Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata
Painkillers – morphine, codeine, heroin
Insulin
Chemotherapy drugs
Epilepsy – Dilantin or phenytoin
Barbiturates – Nembutal, Phenobarbital, Seconal, Amytal
Antipsychotics – Mellaril, Haldol
Parkinson’s disease – atropine, glycopyrrolate, scopolamine
Benzodiazepines – Xanax, Valium, Dalmane, Ativan
Quinidine
Beta blockers
High blood pressure drugs
Interferons
Naproxen
Tricyclic antidepressants
Methyldopa
Lithium
Antihistamines
Steroids
In case you use these drugs, you should consult your doctor and find out if they affect your memory. You can always find a healthier alternative, at least another medications or lifestyle changes.
You should be more physically active, take some supplements, and consume some foods beneficial for the brain, in order to lower the load on it.
You should preserve the brain health in order to remain sharp and healthy in general.
Sources: lovethispic.com, 99easyrecipes.com