People’s Pharmacy: Beware meds that could turn your memory to garbage

Q. I was quite sharp until I was prescribed gabapentin and amitriptyline. Since then, my memory is garbage. I am currently being tested for dementia.

My neurologist said it couldn’t be from the meds, but I am not sure I believe him. These meds are ruining my life. Do you have any advice?

A. We fear your neurologist has not been doing his homework. The Beers list of “Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults” indicates drugs that can cause problems for senior citizens. The old-fashioned antidepressant amitriptyline can lead to confusion and memory problems because it interferes with the activity of the brain chemical acetylcholine. This anticholinergic action is associated with brain fog and other cognitive difficulties.

Gabapentin is a drug for epilepsy that is also prescribed for pain following a shingles attack. Many doctors prescribe it off label for neuropathy (nerve pain).

Research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology (Nov. 25, 2022) found a link between this medicine and cognitive decline: “In conclusion, this study showed that among older adults with normal cognition, initiating gabapentin was significantly associated with clinically meaningful decline in cognitive and functional status and increased falls. Further studies are needed to examine the risk and benefit of prescribing gabapentin in older adults.”

Ask your neurologist to re-evaluate these prescriptions with an eye to gradual discontinuation. To help with this process, you may wish to review our “Guide to Drugs and Older People,” which discusses the Beers list in greater detail. You will find it under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q. I was able to get rid of a plantar wart using liquid bandage. First, I soaked the foot with the wart and allowed it to air dry. Then I roughed it up with a pumice stone and put the liquid bandage on it. This was my procedure about every three or four days, and now the wart is gone! This liquid bandage is not expensive.

A. Thanks for sharing your experience. People have tried many different approaches on plantar warts (those on the soles of the feet). These can sometimes be difficult to eradicate.

Some individuals have used a banana skin “plaster” on the wart. Other soak their feet in hot water (113 to 118 degrees F) twice a week. Instant glue is another approach that can sometimes be helpful. It resembles your liquid bandage remedy in some respects. Both contain cyanoacrylate adhesives.

Readers report using liquid bandage to seal painful fingertip cracks and allow them to heal. They also have used liquid bandage to get rid of skin tags.

Q. I used over-the-counter Primatene Mist for years to control episodic asthma, and it worked very well. Then, my family practice physician prescribed an albuterol inhaler. It did it not work as well in the short term, and it seemed to me that it also made my asthma worse in the long term.

A. Over-the-counter Primatene Mist contains a very old asthma medicine, epinephrine. It was first marketed in 1967 but withdrawn in 2011 because the CFC propellant had been banned. This inhaler was reintroduced in 2018 with a different propellant and is the only over-the-counter medicine for mild, intermittent asthma.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Email them via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.