Medication
and Memory
Some medications that are prescribed for medical problems can cause difficulty with memory.
Medications that are particularly prone to causing side effects
related to memory include those used to treat depression (e.g. Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin), anxiety (e.g. Ativan,
Rivotril), high blood pressure, allergies and
epilepsy.
If you notice that a medication you are taking seems to be making
your memory worse, talk to your family doctor. Often there are alternative
medications available that have fewer side effects on memory. If there is no
alternative medication available, the side effects may have to be tolerated
because the medical risks associated with not taking the medication is greater
that the memory problems you may have when you take the medication. You should
never stop taking a prescribed medication without first discussing it with the
doctor who prescribed it for you.
It is also very important to tell your doctor and your pharmacist
about all the medications that you are taking. This is because it is often the interaction
of two or three different medications that is causing the memory problems.