Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Memory Loss due to medication
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Memory Loss due to medication
by meok, Nov 11, 2008 02:04PM
I was taking Propranolol which I had problems with. I had some severe side effects concerning my central nervious system. One of which was memory loss. During the 6 months that I was taking it (for blood pressure) I started to think I was going a crazy because I was also having very vivid dreams which I was having a difficult time with.
In real life I had learned some things that normally would have been difficult to deal with. I learned that a loved one had cancer which I soon forgot and I learned some disturbing family issues which I had also lost. I've been off this medication for a couple months now and all of the side effects have gone away but I am having a hard time with my memories. What I lost during this time seam to coming back to me. However I am having a hard time figuring out if some memories are real or not. I now have some very vivid memories of this time that don't make much sense to me.
For example I remember a friend who I haven't seen in many years stopped by my house - I remember this person telling me something that was very serious and I became very upset. I remember it vividly like it happend yesterday but I don't know if it was real or not. I guess my question is if I only suffered from temporary memory loss over 6 months will all my memories come back to me. Will my lucid dreams still seam like they are true memories - I had some dreams that caused me to be parinoid but I now know that these were not real but does that mean that everything that I remember to be real is real?
In real life I had learned some things that normally would have been difficult to deal with. I learned that a loved one had cancer which I soon forgot and I learned some disturbing family issues which I had also lost. I've been off this medication for a couple months now and all of the side effects have gone away but I am having a hard time with my memories. What I lost during this time seam to coming back to me. However I am having a hard time figuring out if some memories are real or not. I now have some very vivid memories of this time that don't make much sense to me.
For example I remember a friend who I haven't seen in many years stopped by my house - I remember this person telling me something that was very serious and I became very upset. I remember it vividly like it happend yesterday but I don't know if it was real or not. I guess my question is if I only suffered from temporary memory loss over 6 months will all my memories come back to me. Will my lucid dreams still seam like they are true memories - I had some dreams that caused me to be parinoid but I now know that these were not real but does that mean that everything that I remember to be real is real?
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Nov 12, 2008 02:16PM
, Nov 12, 2008 02:16PMTo: meok
These kind of memory problems do not sound like they are related to the medication, which I assume you have discontinued.. You need a thorough evaluation. I suggest you ask your doctor for an evaluation by a psychiatrist who can also prescribe medications that might make these symptoms go away.
Member Comments (2)
by brandon408, Nov 30, 2008 09:42PM
i too take this med for blood pressure and anxiety, it doesnt work too well for anxiety though but i agree that it may not be this med thats causing memory loss, it could be combined with another med...ive been having really bad memory loss recently too from one or a combo of the meds im on, sometimes i cant remember something within a half hour
