What causes Sudden Memory Loss

It's normal to forget a word, misplace your keys, or have trouble remembering directions once in a while. These kinds of memory slips become more common as you get older. Yet sudden and severe memory loss – such as forgetting your children's names or not knowing where you are -- can signal a more serious problem

Memory loss can be a sign of Alzheimer's diseaseand other types of dementia. But when it comes on quickly, it's often because of other things. Many of these causes are treatable.

Here are some things that can lead to sudden memory loss -- and what you can do about them:

Many prescription drugs you might take can affect your memory. This is not a full listing, but some of the most common ones include:

• Anxiety: alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam(Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), flurazepam(Dalmane), lorazepam (Ativan)
• Depression or pain: amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine(Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine(Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• High blood pressure: atenolol (Tenormin), captopril (Capoten), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), propranolol (Inderal), sotalol(Betapace)
• High cholesterol: atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), simvastatin (Zocor)
• Pain: fentanyl (Duragesic), hydrocodone(Norco, Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo), morphine (Astramorph, Avinza), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)
• Seizures:acetazolamide (Diamox), carbamazepine (Tegretol), gabapentin(Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), pregabalin (Lyrica), valproic acid (Depakote)
• Trouble sleeping:eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata), zolpidem (Ambien)

If you take one of these drugs -- or even something not on this list -- and are worried about your memory, ask your doctor if you can switch to something else.