Posted by Ron Hill on June 24, 2005, at 0:05:32
In reply to Re: Trileptal Long-term Side Effects » Ron Hill, posted by SLS on June 22, 2005, at 19:28:12
> Yes. I have already noticed increased difficulties in short-term memory. I also seem to be having trouble with word-finding. Gosh, I hate having to compromise cognitive function for mental health.
For me, the cognitive side effects were much worse during start-up (i.e.; they have greatly eased during long-term use). Are you still experiencing some antidepressant effects from the Trileptal?
> I feel I deserve to live the second half of my life firing on all cylinders. It's only fair.
You deserve it (IMHO), but unfortunately life isn't always fair. Scott, like you, I want your brainchemistry to operate like a finely tuned Indy racing car; fast, nimble, and incredibly powerful.
> What sorts of coping mechanisms have you employed?
1) Lists and more lists. For me, the hard part is keeping the lists in a functionally ordered and retrievable fashion.
2) My favorite short-term memory aid is to create a picture in my mind that reminds me of the item or task that I need to remember. If more things come up that I also need to remember (before I can get to a place where I can write them down), then for each thing I need to remember, I add one new feature to the already existing picture in my mind. I also keep track of the total number of things that I have incorporated into the picture. Then when I get somewhere that has paper and pen, I pull up the picture in my brain and I recall each feature until I reach the total number of things that I needed to remember. This method works well for me up to a total of about seven things to remember.
-- Ron
poster:Ron Hill
thread:511101
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050622/msgs/517858.html