According to a report in Arthritis and Rheumatism (25:1013), memory loss, inability to concentrate, and changes in personality are being encountered in elderly people who take one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for arthritis. All of these drugs relieve pain, whether or not it is due to arthritis, and must therefore have some effect on nerve tissue.
Accordingly, it is not too surprising that they can affect the brain as well. Some of the most widely used drugs of this type include Clinoral, Motrin, Nalfon, Naprosyn, Rufen, and Tol-ectin. These effects have appeared after about two months of treatment and have disappeared completely within two weeks after the causative drug has been discontinued.
Because mental changes are so often ascribed to “senility,” be on the lookout for this side effect. Aspirin, as well, can do this, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (32:362) reports, but only with very high doses that are far greater than most people use.
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