[Plinketyplonk]

Hi,

I hope everyone is doing well. About 4 or 5 months ago I came out of a heavy and long bout of depression, ever since I've noticed that I'm mentally slower (dopey) than I used to be and my memory is all shot up. Has anyone ever experienced this or is this a known occurrence in bipolar? I'm still affected by it and I'm starting to think it's permanent, I hope not as it's very visible.

Also, I hope I'm posting this in the right section, I have bipolar but this question is more about the depression side.

Thanks,
Sam

[lunaticfringe]

YES. I am currently depressed and feel like I am slowed down and like my brain just isn't working right. It sucks.

[wiretwister]

huh....

[HALLIEBETH87]

Meds do that to me a lot...

[avlady]

i am not a doctor, but i would like to think its not permanant. you should get on some meds for depresssion

[hopeless2015]

Yes, I'm a month in on my mood stabilizer and I'm back to work full time but Im fighting to get through every day and not getting much accomplished...very frustrating

[Row Jimmy]

I forget to pay my bills but I think that's a side effect of Depakote. It makes me loopy and nonchalant. But I don't mind it so much - it's mildly annoying but the alternative was that I was always "on" and that personality made me difficult to handle.

I sort of like the new spacey me. Last week, I slept in until 7:15 and my wife woke me up and said "are you going to work"? I said "no, it's Saturday". And she said "it's Tuesday"! I took a 10 second shower and was out the door in 2 minutes. She emailed me later in the day and said "how's your Saturday going"? Duh.

[dontevenknow]

I have been very forgetful as of late and it has me quite worried. It makes me feel like I am going crazy! I thought it might have something to do with the drugs (even though there was no dose change). Pdoc said it is depression symptom. I wonder if this is true. I have had depression for 4 years or more and never have had this...why now??? It is so frustrating! I don't know what to do about it...

[ruh roh]

Yessssss.

[Homeira]

I forget a lot, and feel tired and "brainfoggy" often.

[Plinketyplonk]

Weird thing is I'm not depressed. I feel like the last depression was so heavy it left me with a lower iq and a bad memory. Ah well

[ducky2030]

yup! when I'm severely depressed my brain slows and it makes me feel stupid! lol

[BipolaRNurse]

Depression=brain fog. Mania=forgetfulness. Medications=both. Welcome to our world.

[Brophy]

Cognitive abilities will come and go with any mental illness. In my experience it isn't permanent and there are exercises or coping techniques you can use to help dig yourself out of the pit you're in.

[dontevenknow]

Originally Posted by Brophy

Cognitive abilities will come and go with any mental illness. In my experience it isn't permanent and there are exercises or coping techniques you can use to help dig yourself out of the pit you're in.

Brophy, Any Specific suggestions or examples of things that may help you could offer?

[UCMATH]

There have been studies showing (and my pdocs have all agreed) that some people who have bipolar have cognitive problems during all phases of the illness.

I was severely depressed for nearly a year and never recovered. I've gotten a little better, but I'm certain that some of it is permanent. My docs think I have MS, though, so that might be part of it...

EDIT: Here's a link to a new-ish study about cognitive decline in schizophrenia and bipolar. They found that 31% of the bipolar patients in their study experienced severe intellectual decline. I'd assume that a significant proportion also experienced a mild to moderate decline. It's definitely permanent for some people.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4423162/

And this is from an abstract of another article: " The latest research data suggest that the neurocognitive impairment is an enduring component of BD and represent a core primary characteristic of the illness, rather than being secondary to the mood state or medication." - http://link.springer.com/chapter/10....-642-37216-2_4

[teleea]

I chalk this up to my medication. Ever since I started medication I feel like I've lost 10-20 IQ points. I am unable to complete the puzzles (sudoku, crossword) as I used to. Reading takes more of an effort. I particularly notice my slowness in social situations. I am not as witty or quick as I used to be and it is sometimes difficult to carry on a conversation without getting mixed up or forgetting words entirely. It is really embarrasing, and at times I simply give up. It is really bothersome as I once considered myself intelligent and now am certain I am being labelled as dumb.

BUT, I fear the alternative. Without the medication my life is caotic fluctuating between the mania and debilitating depression or anxiety.

[mom2trips+1]

Yes. I felt mentally slowed and just plain "dumb." I feel like my memory is horrible. I kept telling my pdoc and she never validated it. So, I referred myself to a neuropsychologist who did extensive testing. And, it showed mild neurocognitive impairment, horrible auditory memory ( 1 percentile) and other impairments. My IQ was 20 points less than when I was tested as a child. It is frustrating and upsetting ( I used to be very smart and was a physician). Bipolar and the meds cause cognitive impairment. Period. End of story. I just wish my pdoc and T would have validated me instead of saying my mental slowness and memory problems was because I am a "mom." BTW, after that testing I got a new pdoc and T! I can totally relate.

[Homeira]

True, mom2trips+1, BP, recurring depressions and meds, do cause cognitive impairment. But I think the severity of it is HIGHLY individual. And I am sure a lot of us will not suffer much from it. But the evenidence is in, and I think it is an aspect of BP we have to accept. For some, it will be an issue. Better to accept it and find ways to cope with it, than to pretend it is not happeneing.
I have been pretty down all weekend, and yesterday I found myself standing in front of the fridge, just starting at the contents, not being able to focus on the task of what to take out of it. Maybe for one whole minute! But I am just that fogged over when I am really down. Then everything slows down, including my brain. Today I feel better, and I am far more clearheaded.

[mom2trips+1]

Originally Posted by Homeira

True, mom2trips+1, BP, recurring depressions and meds, do cause cognitive impairment. But I think the severity of it is HIGHLY individual. And I am sure a lot of us will not suffer much from it. But the evenidence is in, and I think it is an aspect of BP we have to accept. For some, it will be an issue. Better to accept it and find ways to cope with it, than to pretend it is not happeneing.
I have been pretty down all weekend, and yesterday I found myself standing in front of the fridge, just starting at the contents, not being able to focus on the task of what to take out of it. Maybe for one whole minute! But I am just that fogged over when I am really down. Then everything slows down, including my brain. Today I feel better, and I am far more clearheaded.

Homeira, You make a very good point. It is very individual and I think varies on length of illness, medications, etc. I didn't mean to imply that everyone will drop in his/her IQ. But, I do think between the illness and meds, BP affects thinking and memory. It is a mood and thought disorder both.

Sorry you have been down all weekend but glad today you are feeling better. Hope your mood stabilizes.

[RisuNeko]

I think it's often a combination of meds and after-effects of depression. Depression definitely dulls your mind and especially your memory. (If you can't remember much from your depressive episodes, that's there's a reason for that). But meds do the same thing, especially APs and ADs even some anxiety meds and sleep meds. I just came off four of the 8 meds I was on and my mind is a lot more clear now. I went from gettings Ds in a low level prerequisite math class to getting Bs in a much harder statistics class this term now that I'm off those meds. So there has been a measurable difference in my ability to think clearly and remember since coming off two APs, a mood stabilizer, and an anxiety med.

[bipolarandproud]

I have that too! I've become so slow, people at work started noticing it. I get slower after every depression, it's kinda scary but I just try to accept it. What else can I do?

[RisuNeko]

I blame the meds. I have the same issue during and after depression or anytime I'm not manic as long as I'm on meds. Never had the problem after depressions when I was younger I believe because I was not on meds yet.

[Shadesofdark]

This has happened to me and I guess I blame the meds. My short term memory is almost non existent.