Forgetfulness, memory loss - is the culprit Crestor?

In recent weeks, maybe over a month now, I have noticed a worrying sign, a growing incidence of forgetfulness, issues with my memory.

Now after my triple bypass nine years ago in 2007 I, like many others after such operations, had issues with my memory, something which I soon after found out was not uncommon for people who have had open heart surgery and a condition that was referred to as Postperfusion syndrome or "Pumphead". With me, my short term memory after surgery was absolutely "shot" but remarkably my long term memory seemed to improve.

After a year or two (or was it longer?) the memory issues appeared to go away and I was more or less back to normal.

Fast forward to 2016. Over the past 3-4 weeks (or maybe a bit longer) I have noticed that again I am having issues with my memory, particularly short term. At first I simply didn't pay much attention to this but over the past couple of weeks I feel this has been getting worse and it is starting to concern me.

For example, in conversations with people, if I am talking about something and get interrupted, I can find it very hard to find my line of thought, of what I was talking about and it can take me minutes of serious concentration to remember what I was talking about. This has happened more and more over the past couple of weeks.

More worrying, however, has been a couple of issues regarding my medication and this is something I will need to address if it does not improve or in fact if it gets worse.

A week ago today I started using Ntro-Dur 5 patches to help me with my angina. All good, I followed the instructions and Monday through Thursday I placed the patch on a different part of my upper body as directed.

Then came Friday. On Friday evening I realized I had forgotten to put the patch on that morning. Okay, these things happen and I made a mental note not to do this again.

Then came Sunday, two days later. Normally I put the patch on in the morning after my shower and take it off in the evening - on for 12 hours, no patch for 12 hours as per instructions.

So this morning (Monday morning) I am lying in bed at 5.00am wide awake, feeling good and then it dawns on me that I did not take the patch off last night - it had been on since 10.00am the previous morning for some 17 hours. Now I am not sure what the consequences will be for me today but I do know I will not be putting a patch on today.

BUT the worrying thing is that now, within seven days, I have had two incidences regarding medication that I need to take to help me with my issues, in this case my heart and angina.

And then I remember - oh the irony - that one of the side effects of Crestor is memory issues, forgetfulness. After finding a new 99% blockage in my RCA in May I was changed from Lipitor for my cholesterol to Crestor.

Will monitor this situation and will speak to my GP if this situation does not improve or in fact if it gets worse.

More information on side effects of Crestor can be found here: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a603033.html

Ongoing Education and Learning - Lipitor and Grapefruit

It should be clear to anyone who has had a major health scare and/or on a day to day basis has to deal with one or more health issues that being aware of what needs to be done to deal with the issue(s) in terms of medication, diet, exercise etc. is paramount to good outcomes.

One of the things I was told years ago when I was diagosed with high cholesterol and put on Zocor (Simvastatin) - and later Lipitor (Atorvastatin) after my heart attack - was that I can no longer eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. I was devastated as this was one of my favourite fruits.

With this in mind I thought it might be relevant to post this reminder as there are many, many people out there who take a statin drug to help them manage their cholesterol.

"Although there are known drug interactions with statin medications, there is also another non-drug interaction that can have detrimental effects on your cholesterol lowering therapy: grapefruit.

Although eating fruit may seem harmless, drinking a glass of grapefruit juice or eating a grapefruit around the time you take your statin may be deadly."

Kristin Duvall Collection/The Image Bank/Getty Images

"Interactions can occur between grapefruit and Lipitor, resulting in an increased level of medication in the blood. If you are taking Lipitor, you should not eat or drink any grapefruit products, including supplements. The combination of the two can increase your chances of developing serious muscle problems, which can potentially lead to kidney failure or other life-threatening complications."

You can read more about the dangers of this interaction here: http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/lipitor/lipitor-and-grapefruit.html

And also here from what the Cleveland Clinic has to say: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/08/do-statins-and-grapefruit-safely-mix/

If you, or someone you know takes a statin please make them aware of this - when I pick up a new script for Lipitor it clearly warns against eating grapefruits or drinking grapefruit juice when taking this medication.

There are alternatives to statins for controlling cholesterol and your doctor will be able to advise if one of these is suitable for you depending on your situation.

Lipitor Alternatives

"If you are experiencing side effects with Lipitor, alternatives to the cholesterol medication are available. Alternatives include other statins, such as Crestor, Zocor, and Lescol. Other possible options include other types of cholesterol medications, such as nicotinic acid, bile acid sequestrants, and fibrates."

You can read more about alternatives to statins here: http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/statins/alternatives-to-statins.html