Memory Loss From Gabapentin? (Page 2)
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I have a really bad memory these past 5yrs. I've been taking gabapentin the past 7yrs, I also take oxycodone, oxymorphone, mobic and stopped taking valium and a muscle relaxer about a year ago. I don't consume cannabis anymore. It's been about 15 yrs since I have. But when I did smoke back in the day I smoked a lot for a good 10yrs.

I've noticed lately that I cant remember anything. When someone introduces themselves I just totally forget 2 mins later. I have tried the trick where you say the person's name over 5x's or use it in a sentence to help remember. But to no avail. Even at work, I'm told 3 things to do, I only remember 2 of them, or when it's time to do a task at work I just totally forget. It's affecting my job and making me look very stupid. I usually am a sharp person I'm not the smartest but know a little about a lot of things. So I'm really taking this pretty hard and it's not good when your assistant manager says, "Yeah your memory is s***". Any and all suggestions are welcome by the way. I'm 40 yrs young and work in retail.

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Re: Kevin (# 1)

Check with your physician - ask him to do a memory test to assess if it is dementia.

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Your story is identical to mine!!! I sometimes can't remember the simplest of things... I take alot of the same meds as you but I have never smoked from the Mary J. Leaf....lol. But I can seriously feel where you are coming from. I now have to write things down if I plan on remembering them. When they create drugs they only do short clinical trials so they have no way to measure the long term effects. For instance, I was on Nexium and Prilosec for many years and now have kidney disease!! No one in my family has ever had any kidney problems, I am the first. I have often wished I would have never had to see a doctor, because I have got more issues now then when I started!! Everything for me started with simple heartburn issues!! Sorry for rambling on!! I hope to find the reason for my memory issues also. If you have any luck please send me a reply. I am very interested in this issue...

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Dude seriously? The cannabis you smoked is the problem building up over the years! Why do you take so many drugs?

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I’ve been on gabapentin years, can’t say I notice your memory loss side effects. Maybe it’s some of the other terrible drugs you take. Wow sorry but some of the other stuff you take is more likely to be causing many problems.

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Dude! Isn't it pretty obvious what's causing your memory loss/cognitive issues? If you've been taking fairly high doses of Oxymorphone, & Oxycodone for a long time, both those drugs will make you feel that way. I know, as I've been on Oxycodone for 11 years, & Oxymorphone for 5 years.

Oxymorphone especially-- This one will make you feel dumb as a bag of hammers after taking it for a while. I'm not sure why. I have to take them as the pain is greater than the memory loss. I'm on disability & can't work anymore anyway.

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Rawdog, I took gabepentin in 2012 to about 2014 for nerve damage die to Spinal Stenosis. I was diagnosed Bipolar, PTSD and extreme Anxiety at the end of 2014 and could not continue to take the gabapentin because I noticed when I I took the psych meds along with the Xanax when needed and my daily regimen of gabapentin, I started getting very jittery, and shakey. So I tried not taking the gabapentin, or any steroids, took only the hydrocodone for my back pain and the jitters stopped. Then just to make sure I started the gabapentin again and within a week the jitters and shakes returned. So my doctor took me off of them. I will say while on gabapentin I did find myself forgetting more things than normal! I had to start making notes for everything. Friends we're trying to convince me it was the Ambien I take for r sleep, no that is not true, I still take Ambien for sleep, over 5 years now, I am 59 years old, have worked hard all my life, raised my son as a single parent, worked for the state, am sharp as a tack as yourself. Yet when I walk into a room and don't remember why I am on there? I started to get very frustrated, even years after taking gabapentin I still struggle with memory issues. Short term memory loss. I am now on Disability fory mental disorders, die to not being able to function fully at my high functioning job. Not being able to remember how to do my job at that very moment is very critical and it happened where I just couldn't do it anymore. Now, I have to make many notes and write down appointments at the time I am making them on a calendar all the time or as soon as hanging up the phone, I will have forgotten every word said! Very frustrating! Hang in there, my suggestion to help is keep a pen and a note pad with you at all times and write everything down as it is said! You not alone and yes I have come down to the fact that after being guinea pigged on so many different medications for my mental issues, none of them have caused my memory loss. It has been directly linked to the gabapentin.

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Everyone has different short and long term reactions to medicine. Or none at all. I was Rx'd Clonazepam, Baclofen, & Gabapentin for an odd seizure disorder over 20 yrs ago. After a couple years I stopped Baclofen on my own. So the other 2 since. I've never smoked cannabis. Never taken anything else, other than aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. My memory at 60 is still freakishly good, thankfully. (Not that I don't now have a phone that has my numbers, and use for errands, grocery, appointment lists, etc.). You are taking other medications...any one of which could be a reason for your memory problems. And all of them together?? Well, I always said NO one can figure side effects for a combination of meds with any one given person. Much less everyone. You know your body and how you are doing and feeling. Can you quit any of that stuff slowly and see after awhile how you are doing? Don't discuss with only one MD, but at least 2 or 3.

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Gabapentin most certainly DOES cause memory problems. The FDA just released a study on Gabapentin close cousin Nuerontin, which showed Nuerontin causes death in certain brain synapses.

I took 2800 mg. Of Gabapentin for 6 years, and i lost memories of YEARS of my life! I did not realize the extent of the fog i was living under until I was forced off of it cold turkey. I must also warn you that, despite what doctors may tell you, the withdrawal from Gabapentin was much WORSE and lasted way longer than the withdrawal from Dilaudid and Fentanyl patches. I have been off of Gabapentin for a year and STILL suffer symptoms from stopping it. I also have NOT recovered the lost memories of years of my life.

You should definitely be under the care of a doctor, and taper the Gabapentin VERY SLOWLY. Good luck, and best wishes in finding a doctor to help you taper slowly if you decide to discontinue it. Check the rest of this board regarding Gabapentin and you will find MANY people with similar stories as mine, and MANY complaints of memory loss with this med.

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Dear Rawdog, I am sorry for the troubles you are having. Studies show that marijuana interferes with brain development if smoked before 25 years old, especially for men. That being said, what is done is done. Don't feel bad, none of us are perfect. I am sure you are stressed out about this which of course gives you a worried mind, and adds to your inability to remember things. I carry one of those little mini notepads and a pencil, and tell people I have CRS, and to please forgive me if I forget, so I try to laugh it off and get them to laugh with me, not at me. Please do not drink alcohol as it can only exasperate your problem. I wish you well.

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Lyrica made me forget everything, it was horrible.

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I have taken gabapentin for years at a time but with some breaks in between. I am a 39 year-old female and I have noticed that my memory has gotten worse but I have done a lot of drugs in my past. I am clean now for 2 1/2 years, but I do consume cannabis because of my pain. So I really can’t pinpoint what is making my memory bad.

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Hello Rawdog,

According to this case study done by the NIH, [1] (the comparative effects of chronic administrations of gabapentin, pregabalin and baclofen), there is currently no concrete evidence to show a relationship between gabapentin and cognitive issues. They do also go on to state that this is not concrete evidence as there are very few studies done and this is only one particular case study with a limited scope. In addition to this case study the NIH does not list cognitive issues as a common side effect associated with this nor does the manufacturer label it as a potential side effect.

The case study also goes on to state that pregabalin, which they later claim works nearly identical to gabapentin, does show strong signs of cognitive diminishment. So I would definitely not rule out the possibility that gabapentin could be causing your issues.

If you would like to have a better understanding of the drugs and their potential effects on memory I strongly recommend that you read this case study. There is a lot of useful information to draw from it. I hope this helps, have a wonderful day and let me know if you need any additional information.

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