daystar91
10-10-2004, 12:31 AM
Hi,
Haven't been on the boards much do to alot going on.....I'm in desperate need of help, advice......I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and PTSD about one and a half year ago....The problem is that i was taking Wellbutrin XL 450mg and Topamax 50mg daily....Now for the last two months i have not taken Wellbutrin but still taking the topamax....My question is for someone who can help me....Does anyone have a problem with their short term memory???My short term memory is getting so bad, this is embrassing but i need some answers...I showered this morning and about five minutes out of the shower i couldn't remember if i shaved my legs or not...The problem is that my routine is that i do this every day shaving never missing it...But of course when you go to feel the legs no way they felt shaved and i forgot to wash my face with facial cleaner...I've told the doctors before that i was having a problem similiar to this and they really don't say much of anything...Now the Wellbutrin was me taking me off not the doctors and i know that was a bad choice....The doctors only know that i messed up my meds not that i'm totally off the one...Could it be the meds that is causing this???Or something else...
Haven't been on the boards much do to alot going on.....I'm in desperate need of help, advice......I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and PTSD about one and a half year ago....The problem is that i was taking Wellbutrin XL 450mg and Topamax 50mg daily....Now for the last two months i have not taken Wellbutrin but still taking the topamax....My question is for someone who can help me....Does anyone have a problem with their short term memory???My short term memory is getting so bad, this is embrassing but i need some answers...I showered this morning and about five minutes out of the shower i couldn't remember if i shaved my legs or not...The problem is that my routine is that i do this every day shaving never missing it...But of course when you go to feel the legs no way they felt shaved and i forgot to wash my face with facial cleaner...I've told the doctors before that i was having a problem similiar to this and they really don't say much of anything...Now the Wellbutrin was me taking me off not the doctors and i know that was a bad choice....The doctors only know that i messed up my meds not that i'm totally off the one...Could it be the meds that is causing this???Or something else...
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Ruth6:11
10-10-2004, 12:42 AM
I'm Bipolar Type 1 and on lithium.
My favorite short term memory story is that for about 10 days straight I'd get dressed and realize an hour later that I'd forgotten to zip up my pants!
While lithiuim can cause memory problems I'm pretty sure my issues in the last year are more menopausal than Rx. Are you old enough for this particular cause????
:angel:
My favorite short term memory story is that for about 10 days straight I'd get dressed and realize an hour later that I'd forgotten to zip up my pants!
While lithiuim can cause memory problems I'm pretty sure my issues in the last year are more menopausal than Rx. Are you old enough for this particular cause????
:angel:
daystar91
10-10-2004, 01:14 AM
Hi,
No i'm only 27 years old....I'm glad i'm not the only one to forget things... :)
No i'm only 27 years old....I'm glad i'm not the only one to forget things... :)
weasel
10-10-2004, 12:30 PM
i can totally relate. im on lamictal, and it has worked as far as keeping me stable fairly well, but i do have immediate short term memory issues. as far as stuff like what happened earlier in the day i can remember, but, like you said, when im in the shower, ill wash my face, then my hair, then forget if i washed my face or my hair.....when im at work someone will ask me a quaestion , ill answer it, then ill have to ask them what they asked me....i gets annoying, but its far better a sentence than the alternative.
Ruth6:11
10-10-2004, 12:46 PM
Man Weasel, are you sure we weren't separated at birth???!!!
Here's another favorite. I'll shampoo my hair and put conditioner on in the shower and it's only after the water is shut off that I'll realize that I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair!
Not to mention using a totally wrong word, or forgetting what I was saying RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a sentence!!
A sense of humor helps if you can dredge one up!!!
:angel:
Here's another favorite. I'll shampoo my hair and put conditioner on in the shower and it's only after the water is shut off that I'll realize that I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair!
Not to mention using a totally wrong word, or forgetting what I was saying RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a sentence!!
A sense of humor helps if you can dredge one up!!!
:angel:
Destin
10-10-2004, 01:09 PM
what was the question again?
daystar91
10-11-2004, 10:41 AM
Hi again,
I was just wondering if the memory loss is due to the illness or the meds????Sometimes it can become frustrating...Thanks again....
I was just wondering if the memory loss is due to the illness or the meds????Sometimes it can become frustrating...Thanks again....
weasel
10-11-2004, 10:44 AM
mine started when i started the meds im on now.
daystar91
10-11-2004, 05:23 PM
mine started when i started the meds im on now.
Hi,
If you don't mind me asking what meds are you on???
Hi,
If you don't mind me asking what meds are you on???
weasel
10-11-2004, 10:50 PM
just lamictal--150mg
sparga00
10-14-2004, 04:52 AM
you said you were on topamax right? this goes to the first person who started this thread.....it's the topamax...it messes with your cognitive memory...........like you won't remember how you got from point a to point b when you are driving.......i did that the other day.....there was an accident down the street in front of my moms work, and the street lights were out do to construction, and when i got to the light, i had forgotten about the accident, and that the lights were out, so when the car in front of me went, i followed, and the car that was to the right of me, going against me in traffic saw me do so, and decided to go anyways, and almost hit me........so i mean........yeah, it does that..........did i mention i'm on topamax?
Soniarose59
10-14-2004, 08:08 AM
I was on Topamax for around 4-5 yrs and I stopped as I told the Pdoc I was becoming stupid. I am on Trileptal and I am getting the memory loss again. I am learning to deal as it helps in other ways. The one thing about Topamax, it does not cause weight gain. I don't think Trileptal does either. I just tell people it is my age (I am 45). Either early Alzheimer's or menopause.
Sondra
Sondra
gracetoo71
10-14-2004, 09:30 AM
i have noticed short term memory loss. i work in an outdoor equipment shop where we fix mowers, chainsaws, etc.. not to mention answer phones, handle parts, all that. on a few occasions i have put someone on hold and forgotten about them. or have started working on a piece of equipment, get it torn apart and forget how the heck it goes back together. part numbers are the worst. as soon as i get to where the part is, i have forgotten the number. i now write everything down. where the heck did i put that pen? sometimes it is funny, but most of the time it is frusterating. not sure if it is the meds ; i have taken zoloft, effexor, wellbutrin, and now lexapro. it seemed to have started when i first started med therpy. but i think it is a combination of the disorder and meds. you are not alone. take care and best wishes
weasel
10-14-2004, 11:00 AM
soniarose---trileptal is bad for that. i felt in a fog and downright dumb because i had a difficult time processessing , let alon memory. like when people would talk to me i couldnt really figure out what they were saying......havent been on topamax
daystar91
10-18-2004, 04:32 PM
Hi Again,
This is where i really worry is when it affects my life in which ways i wish that it didn't.....Example i wanted to go back to college so i had to take the test before entering well anyways they give you a time limit on a essay.....I had a choice of three topics can't remember what they were but i only had twenty minutes so i started off good but by the time i got to the middle i forgot what i was going to write next so i scraped that idea and moved to the next topic and the same thing happened....So of course i failed that part...I felt so stupid...
This is where i really worry is when it affects my life in which ways i wish that it didn't.....Example i wanted to go back to college so i had to take the test before entering well anyways they give you a time limit on a essay.....I had a choice of three topics can't remember what they were but i only had twenty minutes so i started off good but by the time i got to the middle i forgot what i was going to write next so i scraped that idea and moved to the next topic and the same thing happened....So of course i failed that part...I felt so stupid...
gracetoo71
10-18-2004, 09:21 PM
my sister had a really bad time with memory loss. she is bipolar and was on a med (can't remember which one) that effected two differ chemicals in the brain. she told me that while grocery shopping, she would reach out to get an item off the shelf and would have to look at her list to see what it was she was reaching for because she had forgotten in that short of time. she said it was because her med effected two chemicals in her brain. once her med was switched to one that only effected one element of her mind at once, she was fine. i don't know enough about meds to know which ones effect what parts/chemicals of the brain. don't know if this helps or not, everyone has differ reactions to meds. best wishes to you. take care
Danielle895
10-18-2004, 11:05 PM
One day in class I realized I hadent eaten for 3 days. Another time I called a friend 5 times over the weekend while she was out of town to see if she wanted to hang out. I tell the same people the same story 3 times. I'm always afraid that I'm wearing the same thing I wore the day before. I sit in my car and then forget where I put my keys because they're not in the ignition. The lead light turned green so I sped through a red light and almost got hit by the car with the lead light. This is what I can remember. My short terms been bad since I've been on meds in Feburary 2004. I'm 17 and my memory is embarassing.
meds tried:Budeprion SR 150MG, strattera 25MG, Lexapro 25MG, Concerta, Wellbutrin, Effexor
meds on: topral, adderall XR, clonazepam, zoloft, ambien
meds tried:Budeprion SR 150MG, strattera 25MG, Lexapro 25MG, Concerta, Wellbutrin, Effexor
meds on: topral, adderall XR, clonazepam, zoloft, ambien
Saraagan
10-22-2004, 08:40 PM
Oh boy! I am not alone and thank goodness! That is so nice to know! I am famous for talking 100 miles a minute and jsut stop and look around and say what was I talking about! Oh what a crack up that is. Or just forgetting little things that I never used to before. It is embarrising at times.
weasel
10-23-2004, 01:55 PM
the other day i was digging frantically through my purse and forgot what i was looking for...
sparga00
10-25-2004, 03:23 PM
see what i don't get is these meds are supposed to help our moods? what by making us forget everything? jeez...anyways...tegretol and topomax are in the same category of meds right? and trileptal is in a different category? i'm confused....i used to know and i forgot............ :confused:
Gambletx
10-29-2004, 01:44 PM
okay - i'll pipe in on this one. i've always had a great memory, but since i starting taking lamictal last year, i've noticed more and more that i forget things (short term). so don't worry - you have plenty of company out there with this issue... what was that issue again? :rolleyes:
downtrodden
10-29-2004, 09:46 PM
:yawn: Now what was that you were talking about... ???
Oh yeah - short term memory loss...
I was over-medicated 6 years ago, taking toxic doses of Depakote... That was the beginning of my inability to remember... (what was I talking about, oh yeah...)
While (against Pdoc and regular doc belief systems) it's been confirmed that major drug resistence runs in my family (along with bi-polar) - they still insisted that we try every possible cocktail in the never-ending battle to turn me into a pharmaceutical guinea-pig (with a functional IQ to match)...
My last "mood-stabilizer" was Topamax. It finished the job the Depakote started.
I now leave notes all over the house to remind me of the simplest tasks. Today, I still missed delivering baked items to a sale, despite the note squarely in the middle of my bathroom mirror. I guess we eventually needs strings and notes to direct us to the notes (etc...)...
The most amazing part is the distinct contrast from who I WAS, to who I am NOW... I was an educator, and could lecture on endlessly, pulling together pieces of divergent information into a seamless pile... Now, I can't even muster a pile of you-know-what...
I blame it on the medications, period.
PS - "Ruth" reminds me of an old entity named HOOSIER... but I digress...
~ :angel: Olde Archangel Michael, revisiting after a 10 month repast...
Oh yeah - short term memory loss...
I was over-medicated 6 years ago, taking toxic doses of Depakote... That was the beginning of my inability to remember... (what was I talking about, oh yeah...)
While (against Pdoc and regular doc belief systems) it's been confirmed that major drug resistence runs in my family (along with bi-polar) - they still insisted that we try every possible cocktail in the never-ending battle to turn me into a pharmaceutical guinea-pig (with a functional IQ to match)...
My last "mood-stabilizer" was Topamax. It finished the job the Depakote started.
I now leave notes all over the house to remind me of the simplest tasks. Today, I still missed delivering baked items to a sale, despite the note squarely in the middle of my bathroom mirror. I guess we eventually needs strings and notes to direct us to the notes (etc...)...
The most amazing part is the distinct contrast from who I WAS, to who I am NOW... I was an educator, and could lecture on endlessly, pulling together pieces of divergent information into a seamless pile... Now, I can't even muster a pile of you-know-what...
I blame it on the medications, period.
PS - "Ruth" reminds me of an old entity named HOOSIER... but I digress...
~ :angel: Olde Archangel Michael, revisiting after a 10 month repast...
flintrock
10-29-2004, 11:49 PM
You guys are doing the same things I do....and I'm not bi-polar!! Just old!!
So, don't put too much in on these memory loss issues....believe me, we all do these things........... :angel:
So, don't put too much in on these memory loss issues....believe me, we all do these things........... :angel:
Marimac
10-30-2004, 12:09 AM
You guys are doing the same things I do....and I'm not bi-polar!! Just old!!
So, don't put too much in on these memory loss issues....believe me, we all do these things........... :angel:
I too am bi-polar, take meds and have experienced memory loss in the past either from meds or stress. I was reading an article the other day talking about how stress impairs short term memory. Being bi-polar is stressful. Figuring out what normal is like and behaving normally is stressful. Of course most of us who are bi-polar also have sleep disordered routines that also prevent short term recall. One final factor that I learned about myself and have worked to change is that I no longer allow myself to make excuses for my failure to plan. If I know that I could have a problem remembering to do something later, I go ahead and take care of it now so it doesn't end up in the I don't give a darn pile.
So, don't put too much in on these memory loss issues....believe me, we all do these things........... :angel:
I too am bi-polar, take meds and have experienced memory loss in the past either from meds or stress. I was reading an article the other day talking about how stress impairs short term memory. Being bi-polar is stressful. Figuring out what normal is like and behaving normally is stressful. Of course most of us who are bi-polar also have sleep disordered routines that also prevent short term recall. One final factor that I learned about myself and have worked to change is that I no longer allow myself to make excuses for my failure to plan. If I know that I could have a problem remembering to do something later, I go ahead and take care of it now so it doesn't end up in the I don't give a darn pile.
downtrodden
10-30-2004, 01:05 PM
Yes, Flintrock and Marimac - you are BOTH oh-so correct !!!
It had slipped my mind how my father's mind had slipped during this same relative age-span AND I'd forgotten about the general lack of sleep... My, how forgetfull !!!
~ :angel:
It had slipped my mind how my father's mind had slipped during this same relative age-span AND I'd forgotten about the general lack of sleep... My, how forgetfull !!!
~ :angel:
PollyPrissyPants
10-30-2004, 01:23 PM
i have kept meaning to reply to this post but would always forget to get back to it :)
anyway, i have almost no short term memory anymore...i often ask my daughter if i already asked her what she'd like for dinner (for example) because if i did, i cant remember what she answered...about 90% of the time i had asked her and she had answered....that's even assuming i can think of the word "dinner" as the word gnomes have been stealing my words at a faster and faster pace...
my daughter and i have this little joke between us....when someone asks her how her mother is doing we laugh that the perfect response should be "she's dummer than dirt but very calm" she also says i'm very entertaining...this may sound somewahat cruel or insulting but the nature of our relationship is one where i understand her humor.....if anyone else were to make comments like that about my illness, i'd go ballistic...
i think in my case it's the topamax...i had a little of this naturally, then a little more when put on risperdal but leaps and bounds more when the topamax was added....my doc just added wellbutrin in hopes of then tapering me off the topamxa for the cognitive problems and a few others such as nonstop tingling in fingers,toes and knees and worsening eyesight...siiiiiiiiiiiiiggh, will they ever hit upon the right coctail for me????
PPP~~~
and ruth and downtrodden look familiar to me...i hope they have the same knowledge to share causethey both have helped me immensely in the past...
anyway, i have almost no short term memory anymore...i often ask my daughter if i already asked her what she'd like for dinner (for example) because if i did, i cant remember what she answered...about 90% of the time i had asked her and she had answered....that's even assuming i can think of the word "dinner" as the word gnomes have been stealing my words at a faster and faster pace...
my daughter and i have this little joke between us....when someone asks her how her mother is doing we laugh that the perfect response should be "she's dummer than dirt but very calm" she also says i'm very entertaining...this may sound somewahat cruel or insulting but the nature of our relationship is one where i understand her humor.....if anyone else were to make comments like that about my illness, i'd go ballistic...
i think in my case it's the topamax...i had a little of this naturally, then a little more when put on risperdal but leaps and bounds more when the topamax was added....my doc just added wellbutrin in hopes of then tapering me off the topamxa for the cognitive problems and a few others such as nonstop tingling in fingers,toes and knees and worsening eyesight...siiiiiiiiiiiiiggh, will they ever hit upon the right coctail for me????
PPP~~~
and ruth and downtrodden look familiar to me...i hope they have the same knowledge to share causethey both have helped me immensely in the past...
downtrodden
11-01-2004, 08:41 PM
;) Thanks Polly - I am back for a visit after not only being in identity crisis, but away for about 10 months (suprized that I keep glancing back, but I hope to NOT become as frequent a flier as before)...
I am definitely curious about Ruth, as well !!!
Hang in there kid, it's all we CAN do (for ourselves, others and the world at large !!!)...
~ Arch :angel: Michael, revisited !!!
I am definitely curious about Ruth, as well !!!
Hang in there kid, it's all we CAN do (for ourselves, others and the world at large !!!)...
~ Arch :angel: Michael, revisited !!!
Concerned39
11-02-2004, 11:17 AM
My son keeps saying-"Mommy do you remember when....." and I don't and he is only 10.He asks me about things that happened a month or so ago and I have no recall, and forget about what happened last week or two days ago, it is gone with the wind.Feel for you all as I too know what it is like.Thought it was just me being unattentive and ignorant- but now I know it is not- I too am bp2.To answer a thread I have to keep going back to it while I am typing as I forget exactly what it was I was trying to type- did I go off topic lol.Nadine