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What Causes Slurred Speech And Impaired Thinking While On Zolpidem And Citalopram?

Posted on Fri, 5 Oct 2018

Question: My wife is acting strangely in the evenings. She acts like she is intoxicated (she is a recovering alcoholic). Her speech is somewhat slurred, her thinking is impaired [Last night she asked if our children were in the house- they weren't and they had not been all day (they are adults and live in another city); she then asked me something about a Halloween Parade that we were supposed to attend.] She is taking 10 mg Zolpidem daily (she is 65 and about 125 lb) and 40 mg Citalopram. She also is very restless and keeps going through the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom.

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
MRI Required.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I would like to know-
1)Since when your wife is having these symptoms?
2)Does the symptoms fluctuate and is she normal during the daytime?
3)Does she have any past medical disease?

She might need a brain imaging(MRI brain) and some blood work to rule out the causes of such symptoms.If all the tests come normal, she may need a psychiatrist's opinion.

Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ajay Panwar (2 hours later)

The symptoms fluctuate. Some nights she is fine, and others she has symptoms that make it seem as if she is intoxicated. After my inquiry last night, she told me that she had taken 2 Citalopram and I found several over the counter medications in her medicine cabinet.

She is normal during the daytime, but lately has been complaining of tiredness and nausea. She was also clearly hallucinating. She told me last night that she could not go anywhere because she had to take care of her father. He is deceased.

She has cervical dystonia and she is an alcoholic (she is currently in recovery).She also takes a pill for anxiety and she exhibits signs of OCD.

Last night she took two Zolpidems,not Citaloprams which she also takes.

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (13 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Psychiatrist's opinion.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

In view of being on Citalopram, chronic alcohol intake and the possibility of other over the counter medications, there is a strong possibility of the alcohol induced/withdrawal symptoms and sometimes, Citalopram and other anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medicines may be associated with irrelevant talking. She should consult a Psychiatrist in person.

Further, blood work, including hemogram, electrolytes, kidney function tests, liver function tests, blood sugar should be done; their abnormalities may aggravate these symptoms.

Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar