Posted by Matryoshka on April 25, 2010, at 15:58:25
In reply to Re: Do AD's permanently impair your memory?, posted by Walfredo on April 20, 2010, at 2:27:13
I've been on an enormous number of prescription chemicals since I was a preteen ... almost all the SSRIs for about 80% of that time; SNRIs; an MAOI (at present); chemotherapy for leukemia; benzos; stimulants; thyroid hormone...
Medicated early and often, but I have the memory of an elephant. My memory's even better now than it used to be.Some ADs can cause fuzzy-headedness, for sure, though anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and benzos are usually worse for that, and can mess up recall for some people.
(Emsam, my current AD, hasn't done that at all - it's rather stimulating.)
But I don't see how they'd cause actual damage to memory or permanent impairment in any way, and I haven't seen any evidence for it. Serotonin and dopamine are essential to memory formation.(That leaves open the curious question of whether 5HT or D antagonism could impede memory, but I have to do more reading.)
On the other hand, depression IS known for certain to mess up your memory, both short-term and long-term.
My recollection of the periods when I was really in the hole are dim.Of course, other conditions can cause memory loss. Personally, the only thing that has caused poor short-term memory was my lapse into hypothyroidism last year. For several months there I thought I was going senile in my 20s - leaving my wallet at the grocery store, forgetting the time of weekly meetings, losing a lot of vocabulary recall, etc. (Among other symptoms, of course.) It has cleared up with the appropriate replacement therapy.
I think fish oil (a bit of DHA and around 1g EPA) is a fine idea for anyone with depression, memory issues or not.
Random thought: I recall that low blood levels of vitamin D have been associated with cognitive impairment, especially the older you get. Best to get some sun or get a blood test for levels before doing high-dose supplementation, though.
poster:Matryoshka
thread:943442
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100425/msgs/945040.html