Memory problems (+I'm healthy! Stopped taking Lexapro after 5 years!)

Hello!
Today I realised I haven't taken Lexapro since the beginning of 2018, and what's more, for the first time in my life I feel healthy!
Even though I didn't post here so often, this forum played a great role during my illness and helped me a lot. Thank you very much for that!

I wanted to share this thought with you. And give you the hope, you can also get healthy one day!
I couldn't imagine I would be healthy anymore. Years on medication, psychotherapy, I changed the environment by moving to other country. And here I am today

Besides, I have one question. Some time ago I noticed I have problems with memory, I can't remember the names of my old good friends, teachers from school, and it took me an hour to figure out what was my nickname here (searching tool helped a lot, I managed to find one of my old posts).

Anyone experiencing the same? Could it be the side effect of Lexapro? Do you think it will ever improve?

Lots of love to each of you.

It could be the result of many different things, and I don't know what it is. Do you see a doctor for meds, or did you? Maybe you could ask them. I take lexapro and don't have that problem. I do have trouble with word recall when I am talking faster than my mind wants, or I feel pressured to talk faster in conversation than my mind is comfortable going. I don't know if that's from lexapro / antidepressants, though.

Just wondering how old you are? Could it be age related? Regardless, I'd get checked by a doctor.

Glad you're feeling better!

This is really cool. How did you manage this? Can you describe a summary? Was it the environment change?

As for the memory issues: definitely go to a neurologist or neuropsychiatrist.

Thank you for that, I'll try to reach out for some help there.

In short, I think the process started when I eventually went to the psychotherapist, "forced" by my pdoc. I really didn't want to go there but after 2 years or so, I finally gave in.
When I started the therapy, I was in the state of the emotional void, I couldn't remember last time I was happy. I didn't care so much that I didn't even have energy for being sad anymore. I didn't have any emotions. I was just wondering how I would like to die.

The therapy itself was awful. After each session I felt like a wreck. It was also the worst time in my depression, I started having psychotic episodes, if it can be called like that - I couldn't distinct reality from fiction, I didn't know if something really happened or if it was only my imagination etc. I was put on antipsychotics for a while. The therapy was so painful, that I couldn't stand it any longer, I couldn't see any results so I thanked the therapist and pretended I'm miraculously healed.

But after some time I could observe that I in fact started feeling something, there were some tiny emotions. Sadness, anger - it was there, there wasn't only the void. Now I can see that the therapy helped to "unlock" the emotions, and the annoying questions about completely unrelated (as I thought then) subjects might have had some point.

The most important factor was the chance of the environment, I moved to another country to study. First of all - I don't see the places which the bad memories are related to. I stopped seeing some people I didn't wish to see. However, what I personally think is the most crucial is a different culture. My previous country was very hierarchical, life was very stressful, hectic, nothing what I used to do was good enough. People were always in hurry, cursing and judging each other.
Now I live in a Scandinavian country where life is based on mutual respect, smile and respect to the privacy. The first year was very difficult of course. My family and the pdoc had doubts whether it was the right time for such choice. I didn't like my first school and I couldn't socialise with people there. I had 2 good friends though and they made it better. I dropped out after one year and started from scratch at another university. And here I am - after some time, I stopped for a moment and realised that I really like my life, that I don't have any urge for drugs, nor temptation to the self harm. I finally felt healthy! I am really fine with my life now, I like it. Recently I even started socialising more and now I really feel that I live.

Thank you for the answer starrysky I think it has started after I stopped taking Lexapro - however, I am not sure, it might be that I simply didn't pay attention to that before. I'm 22 so that's probably not time for the memory problems yet. Anyways, I'll ask my pdoc, IF I'm gonna see him again

Np!

Interesting. I also didn't really have much emotion, I was just motivated for a few things and I ignored everything else. But at one point I couldn't continue to ignore things. So... I relate to you with the lack of emotional stuff but I didn't notice me not being happy or anything like that, probably because I still kept some stuff I was interested in. But I just didn't notice I wasn't happy or involved about the rest of the world.

Oh yeah, I read that when you break out of the no-emotion state, it'll be painful like that. I experienced it myself, I think.

It's cool. So the therapy helped by making you think about certain sensitive/triggering topics that made you access your emotions eventually?

I'm glad it's worked out for you.

Hope your memory improves. I'm glad you're off the Lexapro.

Yes, citalopram (Lexapro™) can cause cognitive problems, but so does depression.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21786537

Also, as we age we have more problem remembering, so what could be occurring with you could be any, all, or none of these. The best way to counteract cognitive deficits is to use your brain. Do crossword puzzles, sudoku, or games where you have to keep words or ideas in your short term memory. This has helped many people I know.

I would not recommend ginkgo biloba, a vasodilator, as it can bring on a stroke if you have aneurysm, in blood vessels in the brain.