What causes short-term memory loss? Is there something you can do if you're having a difficult time remembering the simplest things? Is there medicine for this? --Sheila

Short-term memory loss can be caused by many different things. Depression and anxiety, for instance, often affect attention and concentration, making it difficult to "store" information for later recall. Stress can also make us feel "scattered" and jumpy -- again, interfering with concentration and memory.

Sometimes people with medical conditions such as diabetes or menopause will experience memory problems or "fogginess" when their blood sugar or hormone levels are out of whack. And of course, head trauma, brain injury, substance abuse and forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's can cause memory problems.

If you're having trouble remembering things, I'd recommend getting a complete physical to rule out (or in) any possible medical condition that could be affecting your memory. If such a condition is diagnosed, your physician can prescribe medication or another type of treatment that can help. If he or she -- or you -- suspect depression or anxiety is the culprit, I'd recommend consulting with a psychologist or other therapist to see if psychotherapy can help. Antidepressant or antianxiety

You asked if there is medicine for memory loss, specifically. I'm not aware of any specific prescription medication for memory loss itself.