Sinéad ! ! ! Oh MY how wonderful to see you back!!
I hope you've been ok? It's been so long...

Count me in with the memory issue
I was actually getting very concerned about it for awhile. Talked to my psychiatrist about it. She was very certain it had to do with my depression/pain. she put me on a trial of 'Namenda'. I think it helped, but I'm pretty certain it was the medication "Baclofen" that was causing serious short term memory problems. Because I haven't been taking that med for the past 6 months or so and my memory isn't as bad as it was.
In my case tho, I agree with my psych regarding the depression. Especially when I have several things going on at once that require brainwork. I get flustered/anxiety easily and that's when my mind quits cooperating with me.

If you happen to check into "Namenda" don't get alarmed that it indicates it's for 'alzeimers'. It doesn't mean you have alzeimers if your Dr wants to try it on you. that's what my psychiatrist wanted to make sure I understood.
The med did make me feel a bit 'sharper', but not in an extraordinary way by any means.

I'm sure we can all agree how frustrating it is with short term. Sometimes I get SO 'angry' with myself. Walk in a room, what did I come in here for? Leave the room. Forget where I was going and forget where I came from.
So I just go sit back down. I don't know what I would do without stickie notes. I leave them all over my bathroom mirror so that I don't forget where I put them. Not fun.

Working crossword puzzles and things help. There are all sorts of 'brain games' online.
Well anyway, I hope you'll begin to notice a difference for the better once your body gets used to not having those meds in your system anymore.
Let us know what your Dr has to say, K.

I'm just so happy to see you back!
You've been missed.

Rae

Same with me HB; especially words...also, speech. At times, can be embarrassing; especially when I am in the middle talking about something and forget what I was talking about.


Gerry

Same here. Rather than retype it all, or link to a post the rest of which is irrelevant...

Doc

Hi all,

Thank you all so much for the replies to my worrisome memory losses. It certainly has given me some insight that basically it is the meds as I thought all along, I though I was practically losing my mind not to mention that it has been driving my hubby mad... Do you remember last week when we talked about... my reply would most likely be nope haven't a clue what your talking about.... terrible isn't it!

Thank you all again, and Rae, it's good to be back or have the concentration to be back!

Love & hugs,

Sinéad

Hi Doc, thank you for posting. This is why I posted this comment about the memory loss because I feel like you, frustrated at trying to find ordinary words that I learned growing up as a child, words that should be second nature to all native English speakers just aren't. Judging by other member comments we all seem to believe that the medication we are taking has a lot to do with it, my own pain doctor even said that to me, Sinéad don't worry about it, you're not going mad, things will get better when you come off some of the meds. Of course that begs the question, when tf will I get off these whor ing meds? Sorry about language but it is how I feel and we Irish aren't always known for watching our p' and q's, in saying that I try my best to always be polite, so I do apologise if you're offended. I feel like I'll always probably need some sort of pain medication (maybe not!) but ones that don't make me feel wordless and ones that allow me to drive so I can return to work with all my faculties in working order.
Thanks again for posting your opinion.
Btw I'm a bit a of a a fan of sci-fi too, probably not like you are but just some of the stuff they show on the sci-fy channel. I like to get lost in it's weirdness but yet some of it in theory could happen, like Star Trek where mobile phones and smaller computers along with a host of other stuff have become a reality.

Stay strong Doc,

If only that were true for everyone. In my own case, I only took some of these meds fairly short-term (1-3 months) and almost 10 years ago. While there has been some small, hard-won improvement (with significant effort), my vocabulary and some other issues are still not what they were before. I'm resigned that they may never return even by half, and I may never be the creative person I was.

Is it serendipitous that this showed up today (now yesterday)?

Rat Research Suggests Drug Therapy May Reverse Memory Loss

Swell—more meds to counter the side effects of meds. What will the side effects of this drug therapy be, and will it ever end?

If there's anything to it, it's likely 10 years off—at least.

Doc

Two major drug types affect memory majorly.

1) Benzodiazepines, like Valium, Xanax etc will cause memory loss. They are used in anesthesias for dental work, because of their amnesiac effects. That link to the rat study Dr. Smith put up explains the GABA system and how that works. Benzos are commonly given with opiates to enhance effects, so many people use them and also for muscle relaxing effects.

2) Statins for lowering cholesterol, now have a warning on them for affecting memory. So if you use them you might discuss this with your doctor. Statins damage neurons. There are now photos of this effect published this past year.

Any drug that causes mental confusion, sedation, can affect memory too. In the elderly common acid blocking drugs, Zantac and Pepcid, can enter the brain more easily thru the blood brain barrier and cause confusion and in some delirium.

Yep. That "mild" sedative (Umm... I forget what it was... ) they give you for colonoscopies comes to mind—it was a doozy. Fortunately, there were no longterm effects from that one. (But... would I remember if there were? Egad! )

I don't recall any memory loss from the minimal doses of benzodiazapines I've been given sporadically over the years. But... if I don't remember memory loss, does that mean it didn't happen—or that it did... I'M SO CONFUSED!!!

The ones that [I remember] hit me worst were in the antidepressant & antiseizure groups—all given for chronic pain, and none of them worked for that... as I recall.

Though I lament all the deleterious effects they've had on me, I've got to consider it posthumorously*.

Doc

* post·hu·mor·ous

adjective

1. funny after I'm dead.

Hi Sinéad ,

I just had another thought... duh! After surgery it can take up to a year.. or thats what it was.. to get all of the anesthesia out of your system, and those drugs are memory altering, big time! Your surgery was so major and very recent...that I think it just takes time... give yourself that
Payers for continued healing in all ways,

Hana

Medazolam is a drug they often use for minor procedures, it knocks you out and following recovery room for over the next 48 hours you are told not to drive or make any major decisions. I was in hospital in 2001 and given tablet form once as they had used all the drugs available on my allowed list of drugs the Doctor writes up for you and only medazolam was left. My sister who was in hospital with me at the same time (another whole story in itself) came to me and said, say anything you want now because you won't remember after. She is/was a nurse she was in hospital with an aneurism, I was in for a botched hysterectomy and had peritonitis amongst other things.

I'm sorry for your memory loss doc, you are amazing with your writings on here and I enjoy your unique sense of humour. Totally loved the dog posting on another segment.