Medications and Memory Problems

Q. Thank you for your article regarding the antidepressant amitriptyline and memory decline in older people. My husband, who is 85, has been on amitriptyline for years. Within the past nine months or so, the confusion and memory loss have just been getting worse.
He went off it a few weeks ago and he is just about back to normal in his thinking. That is wonderful! Is there any way for people to find out which drugs can affect mental ability in older individuals?
A. A surprising number of drugs can affect memory and mental sharpness, and elderly people are more vulnerable to this problem. We have even heard of individuals being diagnosed with dementia although their mental confusion was drug induced.
Unfortunately, older people take many medicines that might have this impact, such as drugs like Detrol, Ditropan or Toviaz for overactive bladder, Benadryl (DPH) for allergies or meclizine for dizziness. We have prepared a list of medications best avoided by seniors in our new Guide to Drugs and Older People.