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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...

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Meds linked to Cognitive Decline

Bluebonnet08
Bluebonnet08
Did anyone else see this article? Apparently many common drugs, including Benadryl and sleep aids are being linked to cognitive decline and dementia!

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/18/health/otc-anticholinergic-drugs-dementia/index.html

I have often suffered from drug side-effects, but it still surprising that the more "common" over the counter drugs can have such serious consequences. It is frustrating that there are never any easy solutions to our illness and symptoms, but this is something that is important to be aware of when weighing our medication options.
triunfadora
triunfadora
A friend and I had both taken Benadryl for years to go to sleep. I asked him if he was still taking it. He said, "No, I stopped taking it because YOU said it causes memory loss!" I said, "I don't remember saying that." It's kind of a funny/sad story. I have stopped taking it for sleep. I feel like it had stopped working for me anyway. Now, I just don't sleep at all. I just lie there all night looking around. Anyway, in answer to your question, I have heard about this before. Thanks for bringing it up. We sure can't risk feeling any more spacy than we already do. If I lose any more cognitive function, my hubby will stop letting me out of the house. AGH!
scootermom
scootermom
I have reviewed the article, interesting but no need to panic. As a (former) nurse, I've often seen elderly patients come into the hospital with bags full of prescriptions. Medications prescribed by different specialists at different times, sometimes even with conflicting purposes.

A link in this article refers to a chart of possible problematic medications, and rates them on a severity scale of I ( least damaging) to III ( most damaging). Ideally, your pharmacist should make sure that you are not taking scale III medications for an extended period of time.

This is yet another reason to tell your Doctor about all the medications you are taking, including over the counter and supplements.
RichieD
RichieD
I had a doctor tell me to take a new antihistamine every night for six months. He gave me free samples, but threw away the box before handing them to me.

I asked him about side effects and he said there were none. So I looked things up in several prescription drug reference books at the library before taking them. The manufacturer specifically warned not to take the drug for more than three weeks. Common side effects included tardive dyskinesia, which caused permanent involuntary neck movements.

About a year later the manufacturer withdrew the product from the market because of all the patients who were becoming impaired from taking the drug. I never did take any of it, I would never trust what a doctor tells me about a medication without fact checking him.