Memory Loss & Medications. Do any of you not suffer Memory Loss? What are you on?

I am on Lamictal and Risperidone and in a depression. I have noticed substantial memory loss as well as anhedonia.

I am not sure how much the memory loss is due to the medicine and how much is due to bipolar. However, I am wondering if any of you feel minimum cognition loss, if any, and if so what are you taking?

Who feels like their normal smart selves?

I think it can be due to meds. a lot can have that kind of side effect to them.
I'm currently on vyvanse, viibryd, lamictal, and seroquel. My memory is a little worse when on these.
And depression can also play a part in memory loss, or difficulty to recall memories.

I felt like my normal smart self when I was taking Lithium and Risperidone. I don't know about Lamictal. For me, I remember everything from depression and mixed states, but only about 50% of what happens when I'm manic. Seroquel seems to mess with my cognition, but not memory (basically just makes me slow because I'm tired all the time). I haven't noticed really any effect on my memory from meds, but there is clear correlation between me being manic and me not remembering anything. So I can imagine it could work the same way for you and depression.

Currently Lamictal, Seroquel, Topamax, Xanax ER, and Propranolol. I'm 35, BP since 15 but misdiagnosed and then finally diagnosed at 27. I have been on meds since 27. I have definitely noticed a change in the past three to four years. I believe it's a combination of the meds and then where I am as far as an episode goes. It's getting worse and it scares me. I Have two college degrees, but I am not in my field yet. I have a great job that doesn't require a degree, but I already struggle doing this job because of the BP and OCD. I'm at a point where there are days that I have accepted that this maybe as far as I get to go in my career because it just keeps getting worse.

it is due to the pills ......this is the effect of long term use of them

cogitative skills and verbal skill decline .........studies have been done in england about this in 2005 and some done here in usa
Clinical Studies and Case Reports
that is the 2009 just a short thing
http://www.ukcia.org/research/Cannab...veDisorder.pdf
that is the 2005

the stuff u want is call CBDs it does not get u high it is the medical stuff in the plant well part of it ..........the research talks about a 1 to 1 mix of thc and cbds (i am not telling u to smoke thc that would get me yelled at )

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Dragon-T...nal-Supplement

this stuff is made using only CBD strains (like any other flower u can breed them with breeding u can remove traits or increase them) all the stuff u see listed on sites like this are those they may contain a small amount of thc but nothing that gives u the high feeling hence it is 100% legal and sold on sites like this one .............(rick simpson oil is a method of extracting it ......this stuff is prue enough to be made into candies or food with this method)....look around u will see others i just linked the one i was buying for myself

the stuff works they have had me on cocktail after cocktail of stuff over the years i have a memory better then most of my family and all of my friends (except when drinking they make me lose the night) but i just stop 72 hours before a party i can drink rem it all start them back up once the hang over is gone

but if u are in a legal state or area head to the doctor get a card and ask the guy in the shops for something high in CBDs they will offer u food ....that stuff......or even plant itself some are designed with a 1 to 1 mix at 5% (weak 60 weed str with little high effec CBDs counter thc high effect .......that is how u tell the medical smokers from the dragon chasers )

I have a hell of a time with my memory, and I think it's a combination of my disease process and my medications. As you can see I'm on some pretty heavy-duty meds, but out of all of them I think the Lamictal is messing with my memory more than the others. I am also 55 and forgetfulness isn't unusual at my age (although my version of it is ridiculous)---some call it "menopause brain". LOL

Lamictal interferes significantly with my memory. This drug inhibits the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme, and this enzyme is the first step in a series of enzymes that convert biologically inactive folic acid into biologically active levomefolic acid (L-methylfolate).[1] Most fortified foods and supplements use folic acid. My working hypothesis is that the body can't produce an adequate supply of L-methylfolate, and this in turn reduces methionine production from homocysteine in the brain (methylfolate passes through the blood brain barrier). Methionine is a methyl donor, and methylation is important in the epigenetics of memory. I've also read that high levels of homocysteine can cause memory impairment. It could also be that we suffer from a defective MTHFR polymorphism and lamictal exacerbates the problem.

In theory, if you take supplemental L-methylfolate this might fix the problem. I just pieced this hypothesis together the other day and ordered some levomefolate calcium (Metafolin / Deplin) from amazon.com to test it, but I'm still waiting for it to be delivered. I should know pretty quick if it's going to work, I'll let you know how it works out in a week or so.

Risperidone is a very strong downer and your anhedonia is likely from it. I was on it. Horrible.

Note that depression can produce anhedonia and a temporary decline in cognitive abilities.

I was my normal smart self on Lamictal and now am on Lithium, but Risperidone TO ME (everybody is different) was like poison, in hindsight. Pure poison.

My memory has decreased but I'm not sure if it's medication or age. My meds are listed below. I think the meds do have an affect on my having trouble recalling certain words when I need to. I'm not sure which drug does it as they changed them all at the same time when I was in the hospital.

I think I have at one point or another been on all but a couple AP's/ psych meds . They all sent me to "stupid land". Quit them and My IQ is slowly returning to normal.

I have definitely had my memory affected by meds which was a huge ego downer in the beginning as I had a sharp mind. But the meds help me forget unsavory things, instead of ruminating on memories, beating myself up excessively and being paranoid, it helps me get beyond them. So it has actually made me more productive at work from that standpoint and definitely makes me a better parent.

Actually there is a lot of study going on concerning bipolar are cognitive function decline.

This is Executive Functioning. That means things like Memory, Processing, Focus, and Organizational skills. Not IQ.

More research is being done on affective disorders like bipolar and depression and there is a decline in cognitive function. Medication is not always the problem.

I am not medicated. My memory and cognition are getting worse every year. Just yesterday I was shocked at how much function I've lost in 3 years, just by observing the difference in how I'm able to take phone messages and organize them. How in 2011 I could keep chronological phone messages, clearly in order and neatly dated and well organized. Compared to now where I have the exact same type of notebook but I have 3 of them, which I lose and find them randomly, messages in strange order, confused and jumbled, and a complete mess. In 2011 people could look at my messages and use them. Not any more.

And, nothing is wrong with my brain according to MRI.

So, some medications may cause some cognitive problems. But bipolar also plays a role. Report these issues to your pdoc. The more awareness there is about these issues the better it is for everyone trying to get help.

In the diagram below, 5-MTHF is L-methylfolate. Methylfolate is used in the conversion of homocystine into methionine. Then methionine is converted into S-adenosyl methionine, which is a methyl donor for many biological processes, including memory.

What Latuda did to me seems like brain damage or amnesia. I took it for about 8 months and the memory loss runs the gamut, from inconsequential encounters to major events.
Now I am on a lot of medication, but I didn't have memory loss until Latuda entered into the mix. See this post: http://forums.psychcentral.com/bipol...ml#post4065749

Klonopin messed with my memory, too, but not in the same way. It made me forgetful about things like where I put my keys or did I lock the door after I came in? That sort of stuff. It is bothersome enough that I don't take it anymore despite it being very effective on my anxiety.

I also want to post some links about this, and how bipolar actually causes cognitive dysfunction. This is really important to me as a person who has bipolar disorder with cognitive function, but also as a person who is not medicated and hasn't ever been for any significant amount of time. And yes, I am not a fan of medication, actually. So, I'm not defending meds because I think they are bad for us and I've come to a conclusion for my own self, that I won't take them. But I think that taking meds is a decision everyone should make on their own for their own reasons.

I want to point out that it's incredibly lonely to be in a position of cognitive impairment, surrounded by people who have similar impairment. I agree meds can increase the impairment and that's probably a sign you're on the wrong med. But, if the fact that the real illness behind bipolar and depression is actually cognitive function decline, it doesn't get looked at when everyone just blames the meds. I also understand that each of us has a different level of struggle in this area. Like all the pieces of bipolar, we have a unique experience. However, healing the real cause of the illness could help everyone in the long run.

"Mood disorder" is a bad word in my vocabulary. Because in my years struggling with this illness and no medication, I've come to a very profound realization that the mood swings are a symptom. They are not the illness itself. The moods are symptoms of what's going on with my brain not functioning the way it's supposed to. Just like a runny nose isn't a cold, but it's a symptom of the cold that is really annoying to deal with. And just like a cold, meds are treating a symptom. Cold meds treat a runny nose, but there isn't anything to treat the actual cold. Bipolar meds treat the symptom (mood swings) but there isn't anything to treat the actual cause (cognitive function impairment.) This is my opinion based on my experience.

Okay so the links and everyone should read these. Be warned some are long, and if you're like me with difficulty reading, I read them a bit at a time. But they are worth it.

First an article:
Bipolar Magazine | Memory Loss & Confusion | bphope

Then in that article this is referrenced, a good referrance guide on what cognitive dystfunction is and tips on dealing with it for people with affective disorders (bipolar, depression) and schizophrenia:
Dealing with Cognitive Dysfunction

Thanks for taking the time to read this long thing. This is my main concern with my bipolar and I'm rather passionate about it.

I did after 6 years on Zoloft and xanax.

I noticed an decrease of memory and inability to concentrate BEFORE I was diagnosed. People would talk to me, and I wasn't even aware of it. Sometimes I never heard a word they said.

I can't say the meds have made it worse. I was like this before.

don't know if meds or age [57] but my short term memory is indeed failing,,but on the other hand memories from my youth have been streaming in lately...I just seem to be forgetful particualy on technical matters

Klonopins and high dose of seroquel caused me memory loss. No more klonopins and only 100mg at night seroquel. No more problems

On my most recent labs:

Hemoglobin: 15.5 g/dL (normal)
Hematocrit: 45.5% (normal)
MCV: 82.0 fL (kinda low, but still in the normal range)
RDW: 14.6% (high)
B12: 1127 pg/mL (high)

When RDW is high and MCV is low-normal this, apparently, indicates vitamin B12 or folate deficiency in the body, or the beginning stages of iron deficiency anemia.[1] Since my B12 is high that rules out a B12 deficiency, and since my hemoglobin and hematocrit are normal that rules out iron deficiency anemia. Combined with the fact that I've had a gastrectomy, which increases my risk of folate deficiency, it's likely I am deficient in folate.

Here is one study I found that stated: "RBC folate was directly associated with delayed recall (P = 0.007) scores.". That's a very strong p-value.

Sorry it took me all week to get to these articles, I really wanted to read them, thank you so much. This explains so much for me and answers so many questions that I have had. I'm 35, the BP started at 15, and I was diagnosed at 27 and have been on meds since. The past I'd say four years that I have really paid attention to I have noticed some issues, and it is progressively getting worse. I have a B.S. and a M.S. While I was finishing up my B.S. I was just diagnosed, I had a photographic memory, could multi-task like you wouldn't believe. Now I'm a mess. I have a great job, it's not in my field and only requires a high school diploma. The amount of work I accomplish is progressively slowing down over the past few years. I don't have the memory like I use to. I have trouble focusing and keeping on track. I literally feel like I'm am dropping IQ points everyday. I can't even handle a job that requires a highschool diploma, how am I going to be able to do a job in my field? I feel like my education was a waste. Here I am with $45,000 in student loans that I am paying for, for what? I graduated with a 4.0. I don't know what to do, this has bothered me for years. I do believe by what I read in those articles that it is the disease, but part of me feels that this has to be the medication also. I have been on several drugs, but I have been on Lamictal the entire time. If I have had BP since 15, then why did this start after I started with the medications? These are just questions I have. I'm lost and I feel hopeless. I see my pdoc on the 19th, I want to get his take on this as well. I want to get as much information as I can on this. Again I want to thank you for these articles, and if you have any other good information I really would like to read them.

There is no doubt to me that bipolar medications do long term damage to ones memory. I may have only been on BP2 medications on and off for the last 15 years, but I cannot string words together, cannot carry a conversation, cannot remember words, have a poor vocabulary and live and exist only through making copious lists for everything. I can't wait to see what I will be like by the time I get grey hair.......

I forget where I post things but, I think meds increase problems.

I also have seen a drastic decline. But mostly in the last 5 years, and the last 3 years is worse. I had an amazing memory as a kid. I never needed a day planner or reminders for anything. I was an avid reader. I was able to focus and stay on task.

Although not diagnosed, I also was a very depressed teen. Until I was 18. Then I was a very happy teen and believed I was cured of my depression. I also believed a secret organization was out to kill me, the chosen one, and destroy my neighborhood. And I had magical powers. But I got straight As and had friends.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 30. But at 21 years old I dropped out of collage. I tried to write. This is when my focus problems started. I once wrote 150,000 words in one month when I was 24. Other times I'd go months without doing any writing. These problems have grown so now I can't read for very long. I'd rather look at pictures and short captions when possible. It's depressing.

So, I'm not medicated and I don't want to be. But my point is, I think the medications suppress the moods but increase the cognitive function issues. I think that some people are really sensitive to those side effects. But I also believe bipolar is progressive and so even someone like me not on medication I have the same cognitive problems of people on medication. But maybe people on meds get them faster.

Anyway, that's my opinion only I'm not a doctor. Just saying what I experience.

I had to stop Topamax for memory issues and problems finding the right word to use.

I was very stupid while on lithium and had memory problems. Couldn't find words or think how to answer questions. It even affected my physical memory - one day I couldn't remember how I usually brushed my teeth, I had to work it out from scratch!

Now I don't take drugs my memory works again and my cognitive function is normal.