What Causes Lethargy, Unsteady Gait, Short Term Memory Loss And COPD?

Posted on Fri, 10 Apr 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 10 Apr 2015 Answered on

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Spouse 79 1/2 is very lethargic today. Normally up at 7 am still laying down at 11;30 he says nothing hurts, is not nauseus. He is a little unsteady on his feet. He has short term memory loss and copd. Dr. started him on amlodipine on Tues. Has only taken 1 5mg pill so far.

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would suggest some options to consider

Detailed Answer:
Hello! Thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern I would advise some points that you should check out:
1. First you should check his blood pressure to exclude low BP values that could be responsible for his lethargy and the dizziness
2. You should perform a blood gas analysis to rule out a possible hypercapnea (frequently seen in copd), that can explain his clinical scenario too.
3. After excluding the above mentioned possibilities I would recommend a neurological status evaluating by a neurologist. A stroke can cause similar symptoms. A brain CT scan may be necessary to exclude this. When dementia is present (short term memory loss), episodic confusion and delirium are common findings.
It doesn't seem to exist any possible implication of nifedipine at this dose with these symptoms (besides low blood pressure).
Hope to have been helpful!
Feel free to ask when you need!
Greetings! Dr. Iliri

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad