Trouble thinking of words, new trouble spelling

Hello. I have discovered recently that my cognition has significantly diminished. I have extreme trouble thinking of the word I want to use. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue. After 30 or so seconds, it will come to me. I also used to be great at spelling. Lately, I have trouble spelling the most simple words. Also, when writing a sentence, I often use the incorrect context. As well, I used to have a great memory. When starting a new job, I would just be shown once how to do something and be able to do it again, with no help. Now, I need to take notes and be shown repeatedly how to do the task.
I am just curious if anyone else has this issue. I have brought it up to my pdoc but he doesn't seem too concerned about it.

Also, I've noticed that I'm very clumsy.

In times of great stress, I've noticed my cognition takes a nosedive. I take lamotrigine and have wondered if it's connected. Most of the time I'm fine, but add stress and boom.

I'm always clumsy, though!

I am not stressed. I started having this difficulty prior to starting on Lamotrigine. I always have these troubles.

I would get a 2nd opinion if you can just to be sure. maybe a neurologist visit if it is not too hard to get a referral or too costly. a family member who has totally unrelated medical diagnosis (not psychiatric) has similar problems . personally I have found physicians and psychiatrists are all too quick to dismiss symptoms that may indicate an underlying serious medical condition.

I was having these bone pains in my legs and other issues..my PCP was not concerned, ran some simple bloodwork, all "normal"- someone at work suggested check your vitamin D. so I insisted, he did and long story short- I had a benign parathyroid tumor (removed now.)

nothing wrong with being thorough.

Has your thyroid been checked recently? I get clumsy since taking gabapentin and have a hard time with words when my thyroid is being wacky.

Yes, actually I'm on synthroid for my low thyroid.

So, I was just doing some research, and it appears that Bipolar can significantly affect a persons cognition. I was not aware of this. Any thoughts?

I've alays chalked it up to all the booze and drugs I did when I was younger, lol. Thank God for auto correct!

I have the same problems you described, and I am 26 years old. I can't remember words and names for the life of me and just generally don't feel as smart as I used to. I'm also on synthroid. I've definitely noticed a big change since being on lithium. I never had these problems before.

Lithium messed with my thyroid and caused those symptoms. A higher dose of Levo and stopping lithium fixed it for me

I briefly glanced at your other post about your hospitalization. when I was hospitalized- it took me a really long time to recover from the ordeal. I am not sure what led to your hospitalization- but I had gone 4 weeks with very little sleep and it led to a psychotic episode. Prior to the hospitalization- I wasn't on any medication.
It really took me about six months post hospitalization to be able to start to stabilize. It was a full year and half where I started to feel competent again.
I do worry that you mentioned that your p-doc didn't sound concerned. Perhaps you can bring someone else to the appointment to talk about your symptoms and see their thoughts. You may need to get a 2nd opinion.

Good luck! It does get better.

I have a similiar situation. I have trouble remembering names and spelling really simple words. Cognition way down. I blame it on the benzos I've been on. It sucks.

In addition to the spelling and memory recal I've noticed a problem in my ability to stay with the proper tenses. I'll start a sentence and switch tense half way though. I'm on lamictal too.

I really meant that about the drug abuse (cocaine, lds, XTC, weed, shrooms, pills, opiates, meth, etc.), but I'm also finding out that my mind is fragmented which means my memories are locked up somewhere.

Anyway, have you considered bringing it up with your GP? Have them run medical tests to rule out an onset of an elder illnesses? Lamictal hasn't really done anything but help me.

Ok awhile back I was on lamictal and Topamax, both mood stabilizers. I have been on Lamictal for eight years and have slowly noticed cognitive issues, which have affected my work and school life, but when I added the Topamax it went downhill fast. I asked my pdoc what was going on. Hopefully I explain this right and understood him. Bipolar is like epilepsy, our brain is having tiny seizures all the time but without the physical effect. For that reason, our mood stabilizers, lamictal, are also used for epilepsy. I think they were originally used for epilepsy. These mood stabilizers slow things down, which is why we have these cognitive issues. I also believe the disease causes problems. I lost part of my photographic memory, I'm so slow at work. I'm still on the lamictal, I refuse to come off of that. Im on 400 mg. I ended up lowering my Topamax to almost nothing, I use it for weight loss because of my Seroquel, and I couldn't believe the improvement in my cognition. I didn't feel like a complete idiot anymore. Maybe this makes sense, it made sense to me when my pdoc explained it.

So, what do you think improved your cognition?

I used to be intelligent, but years of fighting this illness coupled with meds have made me feel slow and stupid. Some days it's all I can do to make out a sensible grocery list. I can't work anymore because I take too long to learn new things and forget much of what I learned.

I am also very clumsy, which has only gotten worse with each increase in my Lamictal. I knew this would probably happen, but it can be embarrassing when I stumble over nothing or stagger around if I try to stand up or turn around too quickly. But the meds are not optional, I must take them so I just deal with the side effects and let the chips fall where they may.

Maybe after a really manic episode it could do this?

I'm not sure of plausible reasons in your case.

May you find the answers you seek.

Please take care.

I had the same problems and then some, while on lithium.


In 6months I was dumb as a rock, couldn't remember, spell or form intelligent thoughts anymore, my vocabulary sucked. I knew very few words bigger than 2 syllables and I got plenty definitions messed up when I did remember them. I even forgot some pronunciations.


Pdoc first seemed disinterested, then blamed my bipolar, and later he all but called me a liar, because meds can't cause the type of brain damage I was describing...


Took two years post flushing the meds down the toilet for my brain to heal, and thank God it did.


I could NEVER live like that, that's a hell in and of itself.

I have read the same thing. I don't have much to say about it other than it is already occurring in me and it scares the **** out of me. Also, I take lithium which is known to effect cognition as well.

I'm off the meds since last month, and soon I'll start with lithium (what it's making a bit worried regarding the side effects)
This week I had some recurrent problems with recalling words or even replying to a very simple question. My mind was just blank! It's even harder for me because English is not my native language and I live abroad and only communicate in English like 95% of the time. I just feel like a total scatterbrain.

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I've had this problem for a very long time and it got worse with the lithium.

Really terrible for me at the moment, and I have to switch between two languages frequently so I am often forgetting basic words for both languages.

It makes me feel pretty stupid at times, but I guess it's just something I have to deal with from what I read in this thread :/

I take Depakote and it can make me goofy and forgetful. I bounced two checks last month.....never done that before. I just laughed - screw em! They can wait for their money.

Oh Nevvy,

How I can relate to you!
I'm also forgetting some basic words in English and in Portuguese ( my native language). Sometimes I want to say something and I realized I've totally forgotten the word, I cannot remember it in any language. I have the feeling I kinda know the concept of what I want to say, it's almost on the tip of the tongue, but nothing comes out of my mouth.

Damn, that's so frustrating!

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