Showing significant signs of improvement - thyroid med adjustment???

Wilted

 My friend had taken a marked turn for the worse a few weeks ago. He would uncharacteristically get mad at me for the slightest offense and thenwould sulk and be irritated with me for days. During a particularly bad week, he put his pills in the full glass of water, he tried to cook food on a paper plate over a gas stove. He spent a couple of hours trying to figure out how to open a lock with a key tag, then he was trying to open the lock with another lock. He couldn't figure out why it didn't work. He would get a fork to eat soup. He didn't know the names of appliances. "Get the spoon out of the dishwasher", or "get a spoon from the drawer next to the oven", was completely lost on him. I used to feel comfortable running to the store while he stayed home and tinkered in his shop, but I don't feel it's safe leaving him on his own. I think he doesn't feel safe alone either, as he wants to go with me everywhere I go. 

A week and a half ago, I noticed him starting to improve significantly. He's been his happy go lucky, fun-loving self for the past week and a half. I haven't been in the doghouse once this past week

Several weeks ago,  his doctor adjusted his thyroid medication. She thought the adjustment could have something to do with the improvement in his mood and behavior. 

Now I'm wondering about the atorvistatin he's taking. I've read it can cause dementia within 8 years. I stopped taking mine immediately after reading that! I'm going to call the doctor first thing in the morning and see if there is an alternative that won't contribute to cognitive impairment. 

Has anyone else noticed common medications influencing cognitive abilities?

Ed1937

This is from deugs.com - 

Common side effects of statins like atorvastatin are cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), joint pain (arthralgia), diarrhea, pain in the arms or legs, and urinary tract infections (FDA, 2017). 

The symptoms you described made me think of a UTI. A UTI cojuld cause all of those symptoms and more. I wonder if there was a UTI involved, and cleared up? 

harshedbuzz

I could believe that thyroid medication can impact mood a great deal. 

My thyroid tanked on me in middle school and the earliest symptoms were mood and concentration related. In the early years living with hypothyroidism, my levels were quite unstable and I was often moody, suspicious and depressed until an adjustment kicked in. In the second half of my pregnancy, the levels increased and had to be adjusted down. Prior to that adjustment, my husband would have described me as manic. LOL, I was certainly productive and thin.

I have never heard of a connection between statins and dementia, but there's a lot of pseudo-science out there around statins. I would expect that statins would be a good tool against VD.

My mother took one for years until her wack-a-doodle sister talked her out of it because feelings. About 6 month later, Mother ended up in the hospital with a COPD exacerbation and worsening stenosis in her carotid arteries. This was 2 months after my dad died and I had put her vagueness down to grief until her rheumatologist suggested she be screened for dementia based of the poor choices she'd been making around self-care. Once we got her back on the appropriate meds, her cognition improved. I asked her psychiatrist (who is also a board certified neurologist) to screen her for cognitive changes a few months after the hospitalization and she assure me mom is OK. Four years later, she's still at her baseline. 

HB

M1

Some people do have confused thinking on statins but it is reversible with stopping the drug. I am not aware of any association with true dementia. Wilted you should not stop it without talking to your doctor, high cholesterol also contributes to vascular dementia risk. Statins save thousands of lives every year by preventing heart attacks and strokes in addition to preventing vascular dementia.

Added comment:  Just checked my facts on Up To Date and this is basically correct.  There are very few reports of confused thinking with statins, usually early when starting the drug.  Large studies have not confirmed any association, and there is more evidence for statins having a preventive role in dementia than a causative one.  If an individual displays confused thinking on a statin and really needs one, there is a protocol for changing drugs---some are more lipid (fat) soluble and some more water soluble, and the advice would be to switch to a more water soluble drug if needed.

Quilting brings calm

I have  borderline Afib and  on atorvastatin. With Afib I have a much higher stroke risk.  I’ll take the atorvastatin.

Gig Harbor

I wouldn’t worry about having him take a med for cholesterol. He has a terminal illness and high cholesterol probably won’t matter. It is easier to have them take fewer medications.

Wilted

The cardiologist strongly recommend continuing the Atorvastatin. Even so, friend's cognitive abilities are continuing to improve. 

We took milk out of his diet. The other day, after we had an ice cream Sunday, he started to get confused again. He hasn't had milk since then, and he is continuing to improve.