This is an automatically translated article.
Medicine is one of the effective treatment methods for many different diseases. However, the drug still has some side effects that affect health. In particular, drug-induced memory loss is a common side effect, causing patients to experience memory loss, so it is important to pay attention to this issue.
1. What is memory impairment?
The human body is aging every day, in which nerve cells also die and decrease in number, so human memory will also be reduced. For the elderly, memory loss is very common, affecting some daily activities.
Memory loss is a normal physiological phenomenon of the body, which can occur at any age. People with memory loss often cannot remember events that have happened, which can be sudden or gradual, which are severe and take place over a long period of time.
Some common causes that can lead to memory decline are:
Pathologies that cause brain damage such as traumatic brain injury due to an accident, brain tumor, cerebrovascular accident... There is a way unhealthy life through dependence and abuse of alcohol, use of stimulants such as drugs, smoking ... or unhealthy habits such as stress in life, lack of sleep... Diseases that cause memory loss such as epilepsy, Parkinson's, depression, vitamin B12 deficiency, Alzheimer's... Taking some drugs for a long time will have side effects such as memory loss.
Dùng một số loại thuốc trong thời gian dài sẽ có tác dụng phụ là làm suy giảm trí nhớ
2. Drugs that cause memory loss
Drug-induced amnesia is a common side effect of long-term use. Below are the groups of drugs that cause memory impairment when used long-term:
Benzodiazepine tranquilizers: Including Diazepam, Lorazepam, Triazolam... used in the treatment of anxiety disorders or insomnia. This group of drugs, if used for too long, will weaken brain activity, causing nerve cells to not develop as normal, causing memory loss. Statins: Including Atorvastatin, Lovastatin, Simvastatin are effective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. However, this also affects the amount of cholesterol in the brain, so the connection between nerve cells is weakened. Tricyclic antidepressants: Like Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, Imipramine... cause Serotonin and Norepinephrine to be inhibited, so nerve conduction in the brain is impaired, which in the long run will cause memory loss. Antihypertensive drugs such as Atenolol, Propranolol, Timolol... can inhibit important neurotransmitters such as Norepinephrine, Epinephrine... so cause memory loss. Opioid pain relievers can inhibit some important sites in the central nervous system, so they will lose memory of the patient if used for a long time. Dopamine agonists used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: These drugs will work to increase Dopamine in the brain by causing inhibition of the enzyme that breaks down this hormone, and at the same time will reduce the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine. memory will be impaired. If taking this drug regularly, the patient will appear some neurological manifestations such as confusion, paranoia... Antiepileptic drugs such as Carbamazepine, Gabapentin... have the effect of reducing convulsive symptoms in patients, although However, the drug also reduces the signals to the central nervous system, making it impossible for the patient to remember. Antihistamines such as Chlorpheniramine, Dexchlorpheniramine... inhibit the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, so memory impairment occurs. Anticholinergic drugs used to treat urinary incontinence also inhibit CNS neurotransmitter activity and make the patient unable to remember. For these reasons, the use of drugs should be considered, selected and prescribed in the most appropriate way. For example, for the use of pain relievers, the patient should first use the first step, can take Paracetamol in the correct dose and use it for a short time, if there is no improvement, they should consult a qualified doctor. for advice, testing and guidance on more effective drug use. Patients should absolutely not arbitrarily use any of the above drugs for a long time without the consent of the doctor because it will easily cause memory loss due to the drug.
3. Conclusion
Drugs that cause memory loss is a side effect that is not uncommon when patients use certain drugs that affect nerve function for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the drug you are taking, the unwanted effects and note when using that drug, to limit memory loss caused by taking too much medicine.
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