prescription or non-prescription drugs. Both substance use and alcohol can cause both long-term and short-term memory loss, resulting in blackouts. The most commonly used group of prescription drugs which can produce amnesia are benzodiazepines, especially if combined with alcohol, however, in limited quantities, triazolam (Halcion) is not associated with amnesia or memory impairment. In popular culture In the 1970 science fiction TV series UFO, amnesia drugs were given to anyone who had contact with SHADO operatives, or witnessed their covert activities. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) decides to forget his former lover Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) after she erases her memories of him. The characters in The Hangover (2009) deal with the aftermath of amnesia after taking roofies. An episode of Arrested Development called Forget-Me-Now discusses the use of drug-induced amnesia for those who have seen how magicians' tricks are performed. In the PC Game Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010), the player character, Daniel, wakes up with amnesia in the terrifying Castle Brennenburg, and must discover the truth about his memories. In the book Allegiant (2013) a "memory serum" is used to wipe people's memories. The SCP Foundation has referenced amnesia-inducing drugs in many of its articles since its conception, under the name "amnestics", usually as a means of ensuring secrecy from the public. In the teen fiction novel The Maze Runner, the teen characters wake up in a drug induced amnesia, which is one of the main factors that drive the plot. In the series 3 episode of Doctor Who, Gridlock, drugs that induce amnesia are sold in patch form with the name "forget." In the TV series Blindspot, the memory of the main character, Jane, was totally wiped using a drug called ZIP. In the 2018 Swedish film The Unthinkable, a chemical that induces memory loss, spread via rain, is used as a prelude to an invasion of Sweden. In Andy Weir's novel Project Hail Mary, main character Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma to drug-induced amnesia. In mythology Nepenthe, literally named anti-sorrow, is a substance mentioned in the Odyssey given to Helen of Troy, said to originate from Egypt. Consumption causes sorrowful memories to be forgotten. References Clinical pharmacology Anesthesia Drug-induced diseases