Many medications have been shown to cause or are suspected of causing cognitive symptoms (see the table below for examples). And when the side effects interfere with attention, memory, language, executive function, or other cognitive faculties, an examining clinician might incorrectly suspect the presence of a progressive dementia. ![]() Yet no medication, not even a placebo pill, is free of side effects. They can provide amazing benefits for symptoms of pain, fever, inflammation, and insomnia, just to name a few. Medications are so helpful in treating infections, cancer, high blood pressure, endocrine problems, and psychiatric conditions among other diseases. “I meant kidney, not turkey…I’ve been doing that kind of thing all the time, lately!” Was this the beginning of a serious neurological disorder? We wondered about this, but saw the language problem vanish when my patient’s antidepressant was stopped and successfully replaced by a different one. When he saw the questioning look I gave him, he caught his mistake. “My depression is a lot better, but I’ve been having pain, right here in my turkey”, said another patient, pointing to the side of his abdomen. She was concerned too! When we stopped her sleeping pill and worked on non-medication ways to improve sleep, an extra benefit for her was memory improvement. I wasn’t sure whether I was witnessing the beginning of a significant memory disturbance, a problem with attention, or possibly the reversible side effects of a new sleeping pill that the patient had obtained over the counter in a local pharmacy. When I brought the repetition to my patient’s attention, she said her husband had recently told her she was also repeating questions to him. ![]() ![]() We’d already finished scheduling several minutes earlier and I was surprised to hear this question repeated not only once but twice before we ended the day’s appointment. “I’m sorry, when did you say our next appointment is?” asked my patient. If you believe that medications are affecting your memory or other cognitive functions, discuss this with your health care providers. Learn about medications that can interfere with cognition and mimic dementia.
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