Suggest Treatment For Enlarged Prostate And Memory Loss In An Elderly Person

Posted on Thu, 29 Dec 2022

Question: Hello. My Dad is 81 years old and in good physical health. In the past he never took any medication for anything, however, a few years back he had an enlarged prostrate and had surgery to correct the problem. Since then, he's been taking the following medications:
Tamsulosin HCL 0.4 mg capsules
Finasteride 5 mg (generic for Proscar)
In the past year or so, his memory has been failing him. He was feeling "doom and gloom" emotionally. We went to the doctor and he prescribed him Escitalopram 10 mg (Lexapro).
He's not improving. I'm wondering if he still needs to be taking the above mentioned medications and/or if they can be the contributing factors to why his memory is so poor?
Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Neeraj Kumar (6 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Get examined and evaluated by a neurologist

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

Memory issues can be due to aging, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid or other metabolic abnormalities.
You need to get him evaluated and assessed by a Neurologist.
Blood sugar, thyroid profile, vitamin B 12, renal and liver function test should be done.
Brain imaging may be required too.
Escitalopram can be used for depression and behavioral issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful. Do get back to me for further information.

Regards,
Dr. N. Kumar
Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T