Posted by uncouth on May 18, 2011, at 19:24:36
Hi all,
Over the past year, i've started to notice memory issues, both short and long-term. I've been posting to this board for years, off and on, and had a very tough time in 2008 and especially 2009, when I had ECT. Of course, at the time of the ECT, there were memory issues which cleared up a few months after, and at the time, I didn't notice any memory issues for current information, new information.
Well over the last year, that has changed. I find it increasingly noticable - it is hard to retain and recall new information, it requires more effort or time, and sometimes it doesn't happen at all. There are more "absent-minded" lapses. If i read something in the morning, by the evening I won't remember what I read, sometimes even broad details, or again, it will take a while to bring up. And longer-ago it was, the worse it gets. Little things and big things, I could go on and on. I'm not forgetting people, or major biographical facts, and *there is always the chance I am making this up for some reason, or overnoticing it*, but it has gotten to the point where I am disturbed and worried.
I am currently unemployed but hopefully will be back to work within the next month or so. I have been out of work for almost a year, and didn't notice (or have) this problem when I was last working. I don't know if it has to do with ECT or not, but I have read that bipolar disorder and depression are associated with memory loss in their own right, progressive.
What I want to ask is: has anyone else noticed this, and how noticable was it? Did it get progressively worse, and how worse? Most importantly, how are you dealing with it...how has it affected your life, your longer term memories, your ability to function in life, work, socially, etc.
I went to a top top school, always considered myself highly intelligent. I always just "picked up" things quickly, and didn't need to study too often for tests -- the knowledge was just there. So this is especially distressing to me. It's already affected my life recently, i totally missed a job interview on monday because everytime i was at my computer, I didn't remember to check when the interview was...example of absent mindedness. I Just picked up a package today, had no clue what it was, despite ordering something a few days ago. I'm sure if I sat and thought about it for 5 minutes it would come, but it wasn't immediate.
Anyway, i'm scared.
WHAT TO DO? Any meds help anyone? I've heard of the alzheiemers meds, galantamine, etc. helping. Has anyoen tried ANYTHING, meds or supplements, that have helped?
Does anyone have any theory on whether psych meds themselves cause memory issues? At first I thought the memory loss was from lamictal, which I was on last year, but i've been off of it for months and it's still here. Perhaps years of psych meds of all sorts have just done me in.
What to do, what to do? Help!
Thanks,
Uncouth
poster:uncouth
thread:985666
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110515/msgs/985666.html