As good and as helpful as many medications can be, unfortunately and inadvertently there are many meds which have been found to have side effects which may adversely affect mood, memory and other cognitive abilities.
Generally these fall into one or more of the following 5 categories.
1. They Inhibit the absorption of, and/or deplete, nutrients essential to brain
function. Here is a list of meds that fall into that category.
That chart is from Dr. Jocker’s 12 Surprising Factors that Influence Nutrient Deficiencies. Click on the link below to read the entire article.
https://drjockers.com/nutrient-deficiencies/
Nutrient deficiencies related to medication are a higher risk in older adults.
The following drugs from the chart above have also been linked to nutrient loss via Leaky Gut Syndrome, a strong contributor to cognitive decline.
Antacid meds, Antibiotics, Contraceptives, Corticosteroids, NSAID’s, see:
https://1md.org/health-guide/digestive/healthy-living/5-common-medication-cause-leaky-gut
Click here for a host of articles on how to heal a leaky gut.
The second class of medications, directly affecting our body’s ability to make memories, are called:
2. Anticholinergic Medications. These impede the body’s production of choline, i.e. they are “anti-choline”. Choline however, is the basic building block of acetylcholine, the primary neurotransmitter of memories.
Without adequate choline, our brain is simply unable to effectively create lasting memories! And all of the following medications, have been shown to block or inhibit the creation of that critical building block.
For a better understanding of the implications for just one of these categories watch this video by Geriatrician Leslie Kernisan, MD on 7 different types of anticholinergic meds used for allergies, pain, bladder control, depression, vertigo, itching or as muscle relaxers, and how they impact memory
To recap these sub-types include:
The third class, are sometimes referred to as psychoactive or neuroactive medications. They include:
3. Antianxiety, Antidepressant, Antipsychotic and Sleep med. All of these tend to have a calming or sedating effect on the brain, but one common side effect from this sedation is reduced cognitive function, which over time can cause some serious cognitive deficits. Drug in these categories include.
Benzodiazepines (antianxiety meds include temazepam (Restoril®), lorazepam (Ativan®); alprazolam (Xanax®); chlordiazepoxide (Librium®); clonazepam (Klonopin®) and diazepam (Valium®)
Antidepressants (like Paxil®), amitriptyline (Elavil®) and nortriptyline (Pamelor®) and high dose lithium. (Low dose lithium helps strengthen the brain.)
Antipsychotics (like risperidone & olanzapine)
Sleep meds (like Diphenhydramine containing products (e.g., Benadryl®, Tylenol PM®, Advil PM®), and other popular sleep meds such as zolpidem (Ambien®), pregabalin, (Lyrica®), eszopiclone (Lunesta®), zaleplon (Sonata®), hydroxyzine (Atarax®), doxylamine (Unisom®) and benzodiazepine drugs – see above.
Prescribed sleeping pills are famous for memory loss. These may lead to long-term and short-term memory loss. Some researchers and studies have found that all sleeping pills lead to impaired memory and performance to some extent.
The brain functions of alertness, vigilance, judgment will reduce and the action potentials of brain cells may be suppressed by the antipsychotics and sleeping pills. And perhaps to a lesser extent by some of the others.
Some of these pills may also lead to a condition called “black out”, which occurs when a person damages his brain cells with heavy consumption of alcohol and unable to remember the things which happened in the past.
Below is a link to a list prepared by the University of California San Francisco of 6 common classes of medications for various conditions that would be inappropriate for seniors experiencing cognitive difficulties. (The 4 above are included in this list.)
For each condition, they list common medications to avoid because they may worsen memory and thinking, have problematic side effects or cause other problems, as well as safer alternatives to consider, both drug and non-drug interventions.
Medications & Dementia | Memory and Aging Center (ucsf.edu)
Arrow down to: Treatments for Common Conditions and Symptoms
See also The End of Alzheimer’s Program – by Bredesen, p. 221-123 for some insights into these classes of meds and some healthier alternatives. And see the info below for additional resources for transitioning from potentially harmful to more helpful and safer things you can try.
Note: Anti Drugs include antidepressants, antibiotics, antispasmodics, antipsychotics, Antimuscarinics (for urinary incontinence), antihistamines etc. These are among the most harmful drugs for the brain because they inhibit various processes and neuro transmitters in the brain that are important for various cognitive functions like concentrating, thinking clearly, reasoning and remembering.
4. Parkinson’s & seizure meds such as carbidopa-levodopa, Topamax, & Gabapentin.
The ways in which these might affect cognition are complex.
5. Lipophilic Statin drugs - These statins are more lipid-soluble, meaning they dissolve more readily in oils and fats. Examples of lipophilic statins include:
Lipophilic statins can easily penetrate cell membranes, potentially making them more likely to cause side effects. They are metabolized by the liver and may have interactions with other medications12.
Hydrophilic Statins are more water-soluble, meaning they dissolve more readily in water. Examples of hydrophilic statins include:
These drugs are used mostly for lowering cholesterol levels in the body, but they are included and highlighted here for three reasons.
A. In the process of lowering LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol they also tend to inhibit the body’s production of CoQ10 which is very important for energy production in the brain.
As a result a significant percentage of users experience adverse side effects which may include muscle pain, increased risk for diabetes in women, and memory problems.
B. The brain needs a significant amount of cholesterol in order to function optimally.
One large controlled study showed that senior women with higher levels of cholesterol, in contrast to those with the lowest levels, both lived longer and had better memories.
C. Statins are very popular medications, so a high percentage of individuals are on statins. And they can be especially helpful in controlling the flaking off of focal plaque, which could be very helpful for individuals who have had a stroke or who have a familial predisposition for a stroke.
See Dr. Bredesen’s very helpful suggestions on page 126 of The End of Alzheimer’s Program. Individuals with the ApoE4 “Alzheimer’s” gene, which increases risk for AD, tend to have difficulty processing cholesterol, which may result in higher arterial cholesterol, but lower cholesterol in their brain, where it’s needed.
6. Chemotherapies (more to come in this area.
7. Anesthesias can have a profoundly adverse impact on the brain and cognition, especially if the patient is older, has some preexisting cognitive issues, the operation is long, or there are multiple operation within the same year. Dr. Bredesen notes that “General anesthesia contributes to cognitive decline by multiple mechanisms.” (p.287)
If you or a loved one is going into surgery where they will be “put under” by an anesthesia and you or they have had any memory or other cognitive issues, be sure and inform the anesthesiologist of that before the operation, as some meds are harder on the brain than others in their arsenal. See also Dr. Bredesen’s advice on pages 222-23 & 287-88 in The End of Alzheimer’s Program.
8. A Few Others worth noting
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Caution: DO NOT discontinue any prescribed medications without talking with your physician first, as such actions may result in serious undesirable, and perhaps even life-threatening consequences. And as a general rule, it is unwise to try and get off from, or discontinue any prescribed medication without FIRST, coming up with something that can effectively address the issues that medication was prescribed for.
(For example – Ambien, if you were taking this and became concerned about it’s long term effects on the brain and memory, you would want to add in something equally or more effective with fewer if any down sides, like 5-HTP and/or L-theanine and/or Lemon balm, slowly – starting with small amounts with food (see Theroadback.org below for more details on how to do this), while you reduce the Ambien, and monitor the results, until you are doing well on the new formula with no or very little reliance on the drug.)
Even though the process of swapping may not be easy, it would be prudent to at least ask your doctor if you are taking any of the medications in the above noted categories. If so and you are having any of these disturbing cognitive symptoms, ask your doctor about other options. If they don’t know of any that are not in the lists above see the notes below and you may want to check out the links to other more holistic, Functional or Complementary medicine, or Bredesen trained physicians or practitioners under Step 7 Get Professional Help, who may be able to help sort out some of these quandries, with alternatives more appropriate to your unique needs and desires.
Other Resources for Assistance
We realize that seeing a medication on one of these lists, that may be helping in other ways, but may also be adversely impacting your brain and memory, can be disconcerting to say the least!
And there may be drugs that you are taking that you suspect as being in one of these categories, but we have not listed them here (there are over 200 such medication). Therefore, here are a few additional resources that may be helpful.
If you are taking a medication which you suspect might be causing some memory or other cognitive issues, you can usually find it on Drugs.com. Just enter the name of the medication in the window near the top under Find Drugs & Conditions, and hit return. Once the medication comes up, look or scroll down below the description and click on “side effects.” Then look for any words that suggest a cognitive impairment such as: confusion, difficulty concentrating, poor memory, forgetfulness, anxiety, depression, disorientation, etc.
You might also want to look up that medication of Wikipedia, or if you have a smart phone just ask it if your med – state or type in the particular med – has any side effects that might adversely affect cognition or the brain.
If you are on several meds and suspect one of them may be causing some cognitive impairment, but you don’t know which medication(s) may be contributing to this, consider the following. 1. Ask your doctor, 2. Look each of them up in drugs.com, as suggested above, if there’s not many. If you are unable to do that, ask a family member of friend who is more computer savvy for assistance, or 3. Look for a “Compounding” Pharmacist in your area. Take a complete list of your prescriptions to them and ask if they are aware of any of those that are known to cause cognitive difficulties.
What Are The Alternatives?
Finding medications that may cause cognitive impairments is relatively easy, finding good alternatives may be considerably harder. So here are a few options to consider. First, of course would be to ask your doctor. But if the alternative they suggest is just another drug from the same or a related anti class, it may not be much better.
Second, if you are trying to replace a drug for anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, or sleep we suggest you read about those topics on this website. Under each topic there should be a variety of recommendations, supplements and actions that can be taken to address the related issues.
Third, the Life Extension Foundation has a free line anyone can call into to talk with a “Wellness Consultant” who has been well training in various remedies related to more than 200 common senior issues. While most of them are not doctors, and they cannot give advice for a specific individual’s maladies, they have a vast wealth of research, resources and references at their finger tips that they can draw on and share with you. And while they often recommend their own products, they often recommend other products and protocols as well.
And if they can’t help, they have access to other “Senior Wellness Advisors,” most of whom are doctors, and even an Oncology specialist or two, who they can have call you, again at no charge or obligation. The number to call for that service is (800) 226-2370. They are usually available 12 hrs a day
(The American Brain Council is not affiliated with, nor do we receive any pay or reimbursement for referrals to Life Extension or The Road Back below. Like other organizations we link to, they are just good providers of often helpful information. If you have been helped by anything we have written here, and you would like to contribute to our cause, we suggest you click on Personal Assessment, and pay $10 for a list of recommendations relevant to your particular needs. The proceeds will go to helping this site become even more informative! : )
TheRoadBack.org (note that a .org not .com)
If you are trying to get off of an antidepressant, a benzodiazepine, an antipsychotic or ADHD medication these guys can help. They have helped more than 30,000 people world wide through this website, to get off these and related meds. Go here to see a listing of meds they have helped with.
The Road Back Program is based on the bestselling book, How to Get Off Psychoactive Drugs Safely. Every chapter of the book is available to read for free on this website. You can also send the author (our friend Jim Harper) an email and he says he would be happy to guide you through the process.
Jim also works with another company to provide a number of supplements that have proven helpful in replacing the above noted psychotropic drugs.
This process of switching medications may seem tedious and potentially frustrating at times, but when you consider the importance of a healthy brain, and the potentially devastating downside, that could result from ignoring these issues, taking these steps now will likely leave you much more satisfied and gratified with yourself down the road.
