Amnestic

Question: I'm wondering why they administer an Amnestic when having surgery? When I had my surgery I was very disturbed that I couldn't remember what the operating room looked like or anything. I kept trying to remember but couldn't. It really bothered me. And now I've discovered that they administered an Amnestic so that I wouldn't remember. But it's disturbing to know that your were awake yet can't remember anything. I don't like it. What is wrong with remembering? No, I do not mean anesthetic, they gave me an Amnestic. OK, perhaps my question isn't clear enough. They adminster an anesthetic to know you out, they adminster a paralytic to keep you still, and they administer a relaxant for anxiety....why do they also administer an Amnestic to make you forget? (That was supposed to be...to knock you out not know you out) Please go to the following website and you will find the below information posted there on Amnestic http://listserv.uh.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind… We also know that there exist amnestic drugs that do not impair consciousness, but cause proactive amnesia: the subject does not recall anything that happened while the drug was active. Rohypnol has gotten into the news recently as "the date rape drug", scopolamine (apparently in large doses) has also been mentioned in this context. I'm not familiar with the clinical literature on amnestics in general. So combining a paralytic with an amnestic would produce exactly the effect Stuart is worried about. How could we find out if popular general anesthetics work this way? Philosophers *postulate* that we can know nothing about the physiological mechanism of memory, but a large community of neuroscientists is closing in on exactly this. On pate 8 of this document you will also find AMNESTIC http://www.dalemed.com/abpdf/cr_armboard… I am no paranoid, I am telling you that they DID use an Amnestic on my during my surgey. It's not a question of IF they used it. They DID use it. My question is WHY did they use it. Let me add that I absolutely love my orthopedic sergeon. He is THE BEST! I am sure there was no sinister reason for using the Amnestic. I'm sure there was a good medical reason for using it. I just found not being able to remember disturbing and wondered why they assume you won't want to remember what the operating room looked like or what took place up until the anethetic was administered. I'm a retired Emergency Medical Technician and as such, am probably more interrested in such things then most patients would be. I'm wondering why I wasn't offered a choice in the matter. Thank you for all of your responses. I found a web sit where you can ask the anesthesiologis a question so I sent this one to them. The reson I'm so interrested is that I'll be having Knee Replacement Surgery in my future so I want to know the reason for the amnestic and if it's really necessary. If it is really necessary then perhaps my doctor would be willing to allow me to observe a TKR sergery. He works out of a University School of medicine and is also a teacher there so I image that it's not unusual for him to have folks observing when he's performing surgery.

Answer: Do you mean anesthetic? If so, it's because if you remembered the operating room and the people, you'd also remember the pain of the surgery. Cutting into the human body HURTS. Pain isn't something most people care to remember. If you knew how much agony you would be in during surgery, you may not choose to have surgery in the future when you really need it. The fear of the procedure would be magnified not only by the risk that is always there, but also knowing how much it is going to hurt. Some things are best left not remembered.

Question: What causes AMNESTIC DISORDER?

Answer: Lots of possible causes: Head trauma or severe psychological trauma, brain surgery, brain tumors, lack of oxygen (anoxia) to the brain, stroke, dementia, severe nutritional deficiencies, chronic alcoholism, poisons, ECT, ...

Question: PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS! Please tell me where I can see DSM-IV-TR online, Or tell me info on Amnestic disorders.? I am doing a project on amnestic disorders due tomorrow. The libraries are closed and I need : Definition and criteria prevalence of disorder who is more likely to suffer, general age of onset possible causes how long it lasts prognosis treatment methods Someone please help. If I don't get the info I'll have to pay for a "24 hour access" to it for $35 dollars!

Answer: this isnt from the DSM IV TR but it is good information http://health.enotes.com/mental-disorder…

Question: Alternative sedative to Midazolam for endoscopy? Is there an alternative sedative that can be used instead of Midazolam (Versed) for an endoscopy? I'm concerned about the amnestic effect (amnesia). I don't want to find myself at home and not know how I got there, etc. I'm looking for other recommended sedatives, not info about drivers.

Answer: diazepam can be used but midazolam is better, it has a short duration and is water soluable. Profonol could be used in low infusion rate but it depends where its being done. Personally I would stick with midazolam

Question: Jack is a 22 year old man who has sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in a high speed motor vehicle? collision. He is being treated at the Julia Farr Centre. He has just recovered from being in a coma for two weeks. His family are concerned about his poor memory because he forgets they have visited him. The neuropsychologist assesses John with a standardised test of general memory functioning and diagnoses John as suffering from an Amnestic Syndrome. Describe five clinical features associated with an amnestic syndrome and how these will affect John's life.

Answer: are you trying to have us do your homework or something?

Question: Anaesthetic - knee surgery? I've asked this question before but now that I understand better how this site works I'd like to ask it again. I think I was too eager to close my question last time. When they gave me the anesthetic when I had my knee surgery they gave me a Paralytic - Which keeps the patient from moving around during surgery and I understand the need for that. They also gave me a relaxant and I understand the need for that. But they also administered an Amnestic which causes the patient to forget - I don't understand why they need that. Can some one explain? If you click on this l ink and then click on the vertual surgery link you will run into a section about anesthetic so perhaps you will better understand my question. http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/i…

Answer: I followed the link, and understand your question. I think you are getting a little confused by a game designed for middle and high school students. The program discusses what is administered prior to surgery. In knee surgery, a patient is 99.9% of the time placed under a complete anesthetic state. This means they are rendered unconscious. While a person is unconscious under anesthesia, they are fully relaxed, not actively moving, and not creating an active memory of the incident. The game is geared toward the effects of the anesthesia, and not the actual constituents of the anesthesia. A good example of the games error is in it's non-use of an anti-inflammatory. In the game, you should not check anti-inflammatory. The game does not consider that to be a correct answer. However, it is an accepted practice to administer a drug called "toradol" prior to knee surgery for the very purpose of anti-inflammatory action.

Question: Cognitive Disorders Question....? Ernie is unable to transfer information into long-term memory due to a medical condition or long-term effect of a drug. Ernie's experience sounds most like: a.dementia of Alzheimer's type. b.amnestic disorder. c.delirium. d.aphasia

Answer: If Ernie has the ability to comprehend what he is hearing and is able to make correct short-term memory responses then aphasia is ruled out. Delerium has much more to do with cognition than it does with storage of long term memory. Both a drug induced amnestic disorder and dementia of an Alzheimer's type are possibilities but Alzheimer's patients are much more likely to have no short term memory and regress into adolescent or pre-adolescent memories of their own. So I would expect this problem to be more likely to be drug induced amnestic type of problem than any other. What psycotropics is Ernie on. David W. MSN

Question: Adverse reaction to midazolam/versed? I had PTSD and dissociative amnesia from childhood sexual abuse, which was in remission for 4 years. I recently had a procedure with "conscious sedation" and was given midazolam, even though I requested not to be given it and explained that I have bad anxiety reactions to amnestic drugs. Since the procedure, I have developed PTSD again, panic attacks, depression and suicidal ideation due to the memory loss during the procedure. For me, not remembering means that I must have been tortured and violently raped. I understand that many people want to not remember hospital procedures, but I wanted to remember mine. For those of you who administer midazolam, is history of trauma considered before the decision is made to give the medication? Are the amnestic properties discussed with patients as per the prescibing instructions, or is it just assumed that "nobody wants to remember"? Well, the situation that has caused my relapse of PTSD is the amnesia from midazolam. When you have dissociative amnesia, you can train yourself to recall the events, but with midazolam, the memories are not written, so there is never a possibility of recall. The mind then tries to fill in the missing gaps, but with no information all that is written in the gap is memories of trauma, much worse than the procedure I don't remember.

Answer: Midazolam, is a benzodiazepin, a TRAQUALIZER, this agent has powerful anxiolytic, amnestic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, skeletal muscle relaxant and sedative properties. I do not know exactly what happened when you were are the doc but one reason you were given the drug was maybe because they wanted to put you under hypnosis, of course, there is NO WAY you can remember that but it can help you to recall troubling events that can be relayed to the police. In cases of abuse, it is perhaps better that you do not remember as this would just potentiate you PTSD and cause a relapse. So this is a two fold reason. If you were fully conscious you would not be able to recall all the facts because many patients with PTSD dissociative amnesia, as you stated. Unfortunately this is the only way to go. The whole idea of using the drug is to cause sleepiness and amnesia is so that you DO NOT remember the procedure that was happening. One reason that agents such as midazolam can ONLY be purchased with a PRESCRIPTION is because they are RAPE DRUGS and can be used to incapacitate a victim and he/she will not remember what happened. The disorders you are talking about, such as PTSD after a sexual assault, can begin in weeks or even year AFTER the incident, then subside sometimes for a prolonged period of time and then come back sometimes years latter but complete recovery is possible. The drug and absolutely NOTHING to do with the return of the symptoms, my advice to you is to try to identify those objects and/or situations that you feel bring back the bad memories and STAY FAR AWAY FROM THEM!!

Question: I don't fully understand the language of this criteria for diagnosing Dissociative Amnesia. Could you help? B. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Fugue, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, or Somatization Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a neurological or other general medical condition (e.g., Amnestic Disorder Due to Head Trauma). What does it mean when it is "not exclusive of..." "does not occur exclusively during the course." What does that mean exactly? Thanks.

Answer: That bit means that if the amnesia occurs SOLELY as a symptom of those other disorders (e.g., PTSD, DID, Dissociative Fugue), it doesn't "count" as a separate diagnosis of Dissociative Amnesia. ~Dr. B.~

Question: (EMERGENCY) How to know if you had lose your memory if your head is hit? I hit my head while laughing and watching Zombieland.. I hit ti VERY HARD on a metal. It pains soooo much. I know that: people sometimes develop amnesia as the result of a head injury. some people do eventually regain their memory. people may forget loved ones during an amnestic episode. How to know if you had lose your memory? Because my exams is going to come, my brain is very sharp, i dont want to become weak in studies. And I know all programming, I know all C++ and Java, made several softwares and games, people say that my brain is VERYY sharp. I am afraid as I hit my head HARD!!!!! Please tell how to know if I had lose my memory or not. How to prevent if i've not lost my memory yet?

Answer: Amnesia from a concussion is usually limited to the very short term--for example, you wouldn't remember hitting your head. People around you might notice you are asking the same questions. You would recognize your loved ones and remember your studies, but might have probems with things like the date, who is President, etc. See a doctor if the pain persists, you have visual disturbances, confusion, become extremely sleepy, etc.

Question: How would you list this in a Multiaxial diagnosis? dissociative identity disorder (300.14), bipolar 1 disorder (296.6), amnestic disorder (294.8), conduct disorder (312.89), blackouts due to DID, abandonment of personal hygiene, self injurious behavior, severe fatigue, insomnia, nihilistic attitude towards society... its been going on for an extended period of time. I want to get a layout of the above problems in a DSM-IV MultiAxial Format... ie: Axis I: ______________ Axis II: ______________ Axis III: ______________ Axis IV:______________ Axis V: GAF __________

Answer: Those are all axis one disorders. They would be ranked in importance by the doctor so it would be AXIS 1 1. 2. 3. 4. Here is the meaning behind the axis system. Axis I Clinical Disorders Axis II Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation Axis III General Medical Condition Axis IV Psychosocial and Environmental Factors Axis V Global Assessment of Functioning An example would be AXIS 1 Bipolar NOS AXIS 2 Borderline Personality Disorder AXIS 3 Hypertension AXIS 4 Primary Support Problems AXIS 5 GAF: 45 ETA: the symptoms would not be listed on the Diagnostic they way they are listed in your question. They would be detailed in the Eval, but not on the AXIS system.

Question: Is there any reasonable explanation why China uses GHB in toy manufacturing? http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toy.rec… Scientists have found the popular toy Aqua Dots coating contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB, or gamma-hydroxy butyrate, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson told CNN. "GHB is this drug that in low doses actually causes euphoria," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. "In higher doses, it can cause people to go into a coma. It can cause seizures. It can cause something known as hypotonia, where all your muscles just become very flaccid. "And it can cause people to become amnestic, ... which is why it became a date-rape drug," Gupta said. Yeah and make a bet that China slides out of it by claiming they didn't know it would do that. SUUURE I'm screaming about it too. When will our government take a stand against this obvious and blatent attempt to harm US citizens. Enough is enough!!

Answer: I have to say I don't believe China is doing that at all . If they were the US would most likely take immediate action . China is just playing the whopping boy , its like Mattel - Why did no " tainted " toys make it to Israel ? Reminds me of drugs because the problem isn't the drug dealer anymore - its the user ! Yeah don't stop the drugs but get the people who use it , yeah great strategy . The strategy seems to working too , take a look at statistics of who's in jail for what . As for the toys it's not China in my opinion because there not that stupid . Here's the link for no lead toys in Israel - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/8945… Edit - If you think about this further { as I do } . Then ask why hasn't China answered these allegations ? They supposedly already killed pets and injured kids , why haven't they answered it ? Why hasn't anyone answered these allegations ?

Question: (EMERGENCY) How to know if you had lose your memory if your head is hit? I hit my head while laughing and watching Zombieland.. I hit ti VERY HARD on a metal. It pains soooo much. I know that: people sometimes develop amnesia as the result of a head injury. some people do eventually regain their memory. people may forget loved ones during an amnestic episode. How to know if you had lose your memory? Because my exams is going to come, my brain is very sharp, i dont want to become weak in studies. And I know all programming, I know all C++ and Java, made several softwares and games, people say that my brain is VERYY sharp. I am afraid as I hit my head HARD!!!!! Please tell how to know if I had lose my memory or not. How to prevent if i've not lost my memory yet?

Answer: funny movie. Go to the doctor!

Question: What is the psychological disorder in this person? What is this person psychologically diagnosed with? (ex: schizophrenia, mood disorder, anxiety, amnestic, delirium, autistic etc) There can be more than one. These are the following information given: Takes a college preparatory program, wears blouses which she has made of various scraps of material and blouses are accompanied by the same pair of overalls everyday, 2 mismatched shoes and a hat with a blue feather. Talented artist sketching pictures of classmates very accurately. Draws constantly even when told that if she do so it will lower her marks. No friends at school but seems disturbed by the fact she eats lunch by herself and walk alone around campus. If she likes a class she will get A & B but will not do work in those she dislikes. Occasionally be heard talking to herself. Interested in poetry and if asked about it, she will said she is "composing". Refuse to watch television calling it "wasteland".In class she refuses to watch videotapes as well. She is blithely unaware of her isolation except for occasional outbursts about the meaninglessness of most people's activities. Please explain why! Its very important and thankyou very much!

Answer: Sounds like high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome (mild autism) to me. Signs: - no friends - strict routines (wearing the same clothes every day) - inappropriate social behavior - rigid adherence to rules (in this case, her refusal to watch tapes in class) - difficulty relating to others (believing their activities meaningless) - disturbed by the fact that she's always alone...except this sentence contradicts the part about her being unaware of her isolation - obsessive interests to the point of interfering with schoolwork - unaware of social norms (like wearing shoes that match)

Question: How to diagnose Leonard Shelby of Memento using the DSM IV TR? I'm doing a case study on him and I'm not sure how to correctly diagnose his condition. The two choices I have are: 294.0 Amnestic disorder due to... [indicate the general medical condition] and 294.8 Amnestic disorder NOS If 294.0 is correct, would I just say Amnestic disorder due to damage to the hippocampus, or should I choose 294.8?

Answer: I know absolutely nothing of the case you are doing, but if the person did suffer from damage to the hippocampus, then that would be a medical condition causing the mental disorder, and therefore 294.0 would be the correct diagnosis.