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OK, so.... someone has started to suffer from short term memory problems. They're up in years and perhaps memory problems at their age (early 70s) aren't unanticipated but the decline in memory is quite sharp and quite focused in the short term. It seems not so much that things are forgotten as trouble placing things in the recent past and the recent future - struggling to know if something happened this morning or last week, or whether a planned event is happing this evening or next week.
Anyway, I'm planning to go to the GP with them as I think I'll be able to articulate better where the blindspots in their memory is better than they can.
Them being a pensioner they've got the rattling box of tablets marked Mon - Sun and I did wonder whether polypharmacy could be a factor - but the pill box is just a vitamin tablet, cod-liver oil and and Amlodipine (in addition co-codomol is prescribed but not regularly taken)
I'm aware memory problems are on the list of side effects for Amlodipine, although not listed as 'common'. However the nature of the memory problems and whether they are permanent or reversible and so on, I haven't seen described.
Thats a long preamble to: Are there alternatives to Amlodipine (as in something that achieves the same therapeutic goal but through a different channel) that could be tried so that Amlodipine can be eliminated as a cause? And if it could be established that Amlodipine was a cause would an appreciable improvement result from a change of medication, or are the memory problems a one way street?
It really depends what they're on amlodipine for, and if they've tried any alternatives in the past. It's a fairly common drug used to treat high blood pressure, so there are potentially alternatives depending on your relative's medical history. It's worth bringing up with the GP if you are concerned. However, I'm not aware that it is a common side effect of the drug.
Yes there are alternatives.
Assuming that the Amlodopine is for blood pressure, then an A class or D class drug - (google ABC of hypertension) could be used.
My guess would be to go with D class!
its being used to treat high blood pressure and as I say I know its not 'common' for memory loss to be an issue - my understanding is that its rare but that where its present as a side effect its most commonly women over 60 that experience it.
Not all the lists of side effects I've looked at mention memory, but may instead mention confusion, problems with attention or similar - not so much things being forgotten as trouble in taking in information in the moment.
I recognise its not a [i]likely[/i] cause of the problem, I'm just wondering if its an easy factor to illuminate.
I'm on Amplodipine and not suffered any memory losses since I stopped taking Statins......the Crestor I was was on was truly terrible. Just one other thought I'm now also on vitamin D3 supplements and as Vitamin D has so many effects on so many things in the body and your relative is elderly maybe worth asking if they could be Vitamin D deficient as elderly folk tend to spend more time indoors thus getting less sunlight exposure. It could just be old age though, both the wife and I have noticed our relatives in their 70s are displaying some memory losses and we get loads of RSI....Repatative Story Injury.
I take 10mg of amlodipine for mega BP issue and have never had any issues with it unlike the other three drugs I take for BP which in turn make me cough, dozy, hungry (all the time) oh and they all make me piss for england.....
Vitamin D supplements make me ill within days