Short term memory and links to medication

[Greatwhiteshark]

Hi,
My dad has suffered from short term memory loss for a couple of years. This has worsened considerably over the last 12 months. He has been to the memory clinic for tests and scans. There is no sign of dementia currently. Dad has led an active lifestyle throughout his life. My mum is finding daily life more and more difficult as dad retains zero information, literally after a couple of minutes he has no recollection of a conversation.

My dad is on statin medication (atorvastatin) and eye drops (ganfortazopt). Both of these have side effects of memory loss. I'm seeking advice around this. Can anyone offer advice or have similar problems with particular medication.

Thanks.

 

[Grannie G]

Hello @Greatwhiteshark Welcome to Talking Point.

I take Atorvastatin and use Hyabak eye drops and haven't noticed any change in my memory. However no two people are alike and I haven`t had any past memory problems other than a lifetime of forgetting names so there`s little point comparing with me.

If the memory clinic has assured you there is no sign of dementia, I hope you or your mum will continue to seek medical advice until you get a professional answer. Perhaps you and your mum could go to the GP together, without your dad, so the GP knows the full story and how worried you are.

 

[Louise7]

Some medications can cause memory/cognition problems but as stated above, not everyone gets the same side effects from the same medication. Did the memory problems occur around the same time as the medication was started? I agree with the above - you need to have a discussion with the GP about this.