302,578 views
21 votes
21 votes
It is summer and an 82-year-old woman is brought to you from her home after seeing her primary care doctor 2 days ago. She was started on an antibiotic at that time. Today, she comes to the emergency room not knowing where she is or what year it is. What could be a likely cause of this

User Ragnarius
by
2.7k points

1 Answer

6 votes
6 votes

This could have been a case of polymedication, but I doubt it since it is an 82-year-old woman. I'm not sure if they are antibiotics, but benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs can cause amnesia. Or, it is a possibility her primary care doctor gave her the wrong dosage of the antibiotics, causing side effects, one of them possibly being amnesia.

User Meddlingwithfire
by
3.0k points