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Could chemo brain with early menopause, plus several medications cause alzheimer like symptoms ?
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Female Person's Age: 53 Already Tried: Nothing, but my concentration, my memory are shot. Sometimes I cant remember important things I recently said or did.
Hello. Short term memory is susceptible to numerous influences. Chemotherapy, depending on the type and duration, could damage parts of the brain responsible for memory. In most cases, full functionality will return within 3-6 months. Hormonal changes can also affect short term memory, as can medications. The effects of all these factors should be temporary. In addition, stress, fatigue, distraction and anxiety can impair input and storage of information.
Depression can also severely impact short term memory. If moderate to severe it can result in what is called "pseudo-dementia" which appears like AD, with short term memory and other cognitive issues. This can also be treated.
If this issue is impacting your life in a significant way, it is important for you to be evaluated by your family doctor first to rule out treatable causes. You may need to have your medications adjusted.You may need to get on hormone replacement therapy. If this does not improve the situation, you may need to be evaluated by mental health to rule out a primary anxiety or mood disorder that is impairing your cognitive function and memory. Many medications are available to help with these types of conditions.
Don't despair. The problem just needs to be broken down into its component parts, and the various factors contributing to it teased apart and addressed one at a time.
I do have depression, been on meds for 16yrs. I also have Fibermyalgia and my heart doctor says the chemo damaged my heart. I have cardiomyopthy and a left bundle branch block. I take cymbalta 60mg, Gx Wellbutron 150mg, and Gx Coreg 12.5 mg 2x a day, also lisinopril 20 mg and metformin 500mg and protonix 40 mg also thyroid meds. I recently lost a job because I couldnt remember the 10 weeks of training info and I have slowed down alot. Then yesterday I had a job interview and I swear it was for 1:30pm but they said no it was at 1pm. When I got to my car I had written it for 1:30.When I got home I looked up the email and it was for 1pm. I used to never make these kinds of mistakes.
It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. As things pile up it becomes easier and easier to get distracted, even when you are not aware of it. When distracted, the info does not go in "all the way" or does not "stick" if you will..."garbage in, garbage out" :-) Perhaps you are not really ready to go back to work? Perhaps you need to feel better about your various health conditions first...good control can be elusive when several thing are overlapping. Have you seen your family doctor recently? You need a good quarterback to run your offense here. You can't play all the positions yourself.
I had estrogen positive breast cancer 10 yrs ago and was told no estrogen thearpy was available to me. I had the historectomy 1 yr later. I have bad memory loss and forgetting where I was going and getting lost since then. I am 53 yrs old.
Another option at this point is to ask your doc for neuropsychiatric testing. This is a complete battery of tests to assess memory and cognitive function. If some deficits are identified, they can be addressed with various strategies and community resources.
ok I will thanks.
You're welcome. I hope I've been of help. Best wishes to you going forward. God bless.
Experience: Neurology & Int Medicine (US Trained): 20 yrs experience