anti depressants and memory loss

[mommylady]

I have been on anti depressants for 8 years. I am 35 years old and have noticed memory issues. I forget things recent and have trouble remembering past events. I can read and enjoy a book but couldn't tell you the main characters name or sometimes not even a good description of what it was about. I have been trying to memorize bible scripture and draw a blank. i often come off as ditzy or uncaring because stuff doesn't sink in. is this from the anti depressant? Is there a way to get back some clarity ? Vitamins mind exercise anything? scant remember how to spell correctly a lot of times. I am frustrated and have no health insurance

[Tim77777]

I am on pristiq and viibryd. I am having extreme memory issues as well. Have to speak to doctor as I can remember nothing I'm not extremely interested in.

[pitersansuv]

yes i also believe its concentration problem because i have such a low concentration,i am taking thyroxine,you have taken medicine for T3 also,i have listen T3 plays a great role in metabolism.

[pitersansuv]

hie i am 30 years old i also had lot of antidepressants,and i have exactly symptoms like you,i have consulted neuroligist he told me that its because of stress,currently i am on clomipramine and on the same memory issue as your .i have tested my vitamin B12 its on lower side i had saw symptoms of it,it can be due to vitamin B12 also and checked my vitamin D its also on lower side.if you find other reason please share me i am having extreme problem because of it finding difficult to work.

[Deb73071]

have u had your thyroid checked lately.  I had the same problem a few yrs ago and it wasn't memory loss as such, it was a concentration problem.  Thyroid med worked wonders for that problem.

[sara12345]

Are you aware that the normal dose of Pristiq is only 50 mg?  I don't know why your doctor would have started you on 100 mg.  I would talk to your doctor about reducing it to 50 mg.  The 50 mg has worked fine for me and has caused no memory problems.  But if I were to double it, who knows?

[AndreaW]

I know what you mean. I have been off of Lexapro for two years now, and still have problems with both long and short term memory. It is extremely frustrating . When I was still taking it, I had to search to see if some anti depressants are linked to memory loss . Though I didn't see any studies, at the time, there were many complaints by the people using them. That, alone,made me feel a bit better. Knowing you're not the only one dealing with certain things , selfishly makes me a bit more comfortable. This was certainly the case with my memory loss. I felt as if I was going insane because I couldn't figure out what was going on with my brain. So just know that, there are many, many people dealing with this. I will continue to check back, in hopes that someone will let you know if there is anything to help the situation. I've thought about vitamins and brain exercises. I can't wait to hear what others may know about reversing the effects of some antidepressants on memory.

[feelincrazy391]

I am on Pristiq 100mg and i am having the same problems. I walk in circles all day because I cant remember what i started to do. I cant remember past or present events, names etc , I wouldnt dream of getting a new phone or appliance because I wouldnt be able to learn how to use it and I am normally very good at that. I cant text message anymore, it takes forever to remember how to spell. I'm also climbing the walls,crying all the time and so irratable. Please excuse my spelling. I am normally so particular about that but I just cant remember. I have only been like this 10 weeks since being on Pristiq and its been hell. I would definately suggest that this is your problem. I see my Dr next week and I am demanding a change of medication. I have even had two suicidal episodes and my problem was anxiety, not depression. I am 54

[sara12345]

Thanks so much for asking about how I'm taking my mother's death several months ago.  I suddenly for no reason will burst into tears about her, like I think many people who have had a terrible loss.  But I had a full 2 years of my mother in hospice.  It began with the doctor telling me that she had 4 days to live.  And she was almost comatose, breathing with oxygen, barely able to eat with someone else feeding her.  She kept getting better.  Then she kept having stroke after stroke when I was sure that she was about to die.  Each time I would go through major grieving, only for her to perk up again.  Such a long time of grieving, that by the time she did die, it was almost a relief, but at the same time great grief.  

Those 2 years were very difficult for me, because I had a stroke which caused 24/7 migraines which were often so severe that I had to go to the ER.  Some days I couldn't get out of bed. Plus, I've developed a lot of other illnesses caused by either the stroke or the pain.  I've also needed at least 12 hours of sleep every night and I still have to work some to keep my health insurance.  It's amazing that I ever got through it.  It was such a burden to have to visit my mother almost every day with all my pain, but those times were also the most CHERISHED days of my life.  So that's my story.  Where there's a will, there's a way.

So I hope that you will have the will to take care of yourself.  I'm so glad that you have a great husband and great friends and that you say, "I love my life, my spiritual happiness is fulfilling".  Please help me to not worry about you and see a doctor.  I do wish the best for you.

[sara12345]

My gosh, what a bad run of therapists you had in the beginning with you having to be the therapist to the one who cried and then that gruff one with the deer heads.  That doesn't sound appropriate for a therapist's office. Glad that you have found a better therapist.  It's very important to realize that therapists are just people and that they can be wrong, e.g. the co-dependency.  It's the right thing to get rid of the ones that don't suit you.

I just had a bad experience with a therapist who was supposed to specialize with people who have disabilities and pain.  I have 24/7 migraines, had a stroke, fibromyalgia and much more.  But she told me that everything that I haven't been able to do were "my choice".  Even when I had my major stroke and was in the hospital hooked up to lines including pain medication for the worst head pain in my life.  She said that during that it was my choice to not go to my brother's wedding!!!

And then she talked about being in the moment--separate from meditation.  I said that I would rather focus on other things when I'm washing the dishes.  She asked if that has worked for me.  I said yes.  I told her that ignoring all my pain has allowed me to focus on what I do want to do.  And I hate to eat since my stroke.  The only way I am able to eat is to think about anything else other than the terrible way the food tastes.  So much for that therapist.

No you don't sound "scattered, unnatural,bipolar" to me. You may be bipolar, but you would know better than I. You just don't sound that way.  Your feelings about your friends thinking you are a science project--perhaps they don't have as intense feelings as you do, but you say they are loving and caring.  That's what matters most. My husband has absolutely no idea what it feels like to be depressed, have fibromyalgia or severe migraines--heck he's never even had a headache.  But he is understanding and caring.  THAT's what matters.

On this site you will find many other people who have had your same experiences and do understand your feelings.  

[mommylady]

How are you handling the loss of your mother? I'm sorry I didn't post sooner. I felt like a baby. when by myself I'd cry I want my mommy back. A friend of mine.e lost her mom last year, my friend is in her 50's ans said she felt the same way. the age you lose a parent doesn't seem to determine the healing or bouncing back time. it just is a horrible lonely feeling. I wonder if my moms death made me this way, or if it just brought it to the surface. how do you feel it has affected your mental wellbeing??  How are you holding up? Do you have friends and family to help you through this? I hope so. I am truly sorry for your loss.  it was for me a life changer, that no-one should have to go it alone

[mommylady]

Sorry I only have this dumb phone with anyauto correct and went to delete cleaning and put creeping * and the thing posted. Any ways , so I tried and failed at therapy . I keep my eyes out for those free ones, but I tried one last summer and I just wasn't impressed. believe it or not this has been the best therapy so far. I'm getting responses that make me think and learn. I really didn't have that in any of my doctor conducted therapy sessions. I am from a small area, our largest city in 5 miles drive is in another state. that may be a reason for my inability to find free local help. I do have great friends, and a great husband its just that they seem to handle life up and downs better. I sometimes wonder about bipolar disorder. man, just thinking, between all I've been diagnosed with...add hormones to the soup once a month..well, maybe bipolar is a natural disorder. or maybe an answere. its just the friend thing..they are caring, loving, but if I am overwhelmed with something it almost seems as if I'm the only one who has been there. like, if they could write it down I'd be a science experiment. I love my life, my spiritual happiness is fulfilling, its just...sensitivity to their reactions. I wish I had a meter that helped me gauge what "normal" and reaching far left was.
do my posts seem scattered, unnatural,bipolar,or strange...bet it does now, lol. its there low lying and once in a while that sensitivity to what people think takes center stage,and I feel like I'm weird. oh also I forgot to add at sometime in the past I was told by a therapist that I had co dependency ...my spouse was the target. but with age and reading books on it I don't think that is the case here. who knows,lol. I shouldblog a journal if I ever get a computer( this hen picken texting keyboard us driving me nuts) haha..that way I can track myself and if others so choose they may. what Di you think. I really thank all of you..again,and again, forever again for your info,help, and wellwishes

[mommylady]

I often wonder if its just me..the look may be imagined. I have had the symptoms...more severe, before anti-depression meds where walking into Wal-Mart started with a trip to the restroom to see if I got something in my teeth,something hanging out my nose or dragging t.p. on my shoe. I'm not sure under what category of mental illness that goes undercut for the most part its gone.  I saw a few different therapists many years ago while I was covered by state insurance,right after my mom passed. one cried the whole time literally. my moms story touched something deepdown in her, she asked to see her pic. and started bawling. I had to console her...it was very awkward!! I didn't go back. another was a man, he was nice but I'm not into gruff Hunter guys with deer heads on the wall asking me to explain my feelings. Like hey this is private and Rudolf is cleaning me out

[sara12345]

Also, I wonder about your friends, if indeed they really are looking at you with judgment when you tell them about your medications. That's not a good or understanding friend.  I've never had this problem with any of my many friends.  That may be because a good percentage of them either are or have also taken anti-depressants.  I never tell people who are not friends.  Although I did mention it to 2 aides at my mother's hospice facility, who also turned out to be on the same anti-depressant as I'm taking.

You might want to directly ask them what they think about it.  You may hear back that they really care about you and do understand.  

If not, you may consider finding better friends.  And you can always tell them that you no longer take the meds.  There's nothing wrong with lying to people who don't have your best interest.  It really disgusts me to hear what you had to say about your friends.  And especially what you've gone through with your mother.  

I just lost my mother several months ago who I was also very close to.  But she was much older than your mother.  But it still hurts terribly.  I dream about her a lot.

[sara12345]

I'm going to say almost the same thing that I just told mommylady.  I feel so bad for you having to struggle with depression for 20 years with all the problems you've had with various anti-depressants.  Totally not worth the side effects that you described.  If there are any other major classes of meds that you haven't tried, you really should try them.  

Again, depression is linked with several major health conditions, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, disability, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis and obesity.

Because of the deterioration of telomeres in the body, people with long term depression "tend to develop earlier and more serious forms of physical illnesses that usually hit people in older age, such as stroke, dementia, heart disease and diabetes. . . brain scans of older people with depression showed much faster age-related loss of volume in the brain compared with people without depression.." See Wall Street Journal, 4/9/2012.

Also ECT, electro convulsive therapy, is entirely different from the past.  Many have found help with that, when nothing else helped them. I think I saw other people talking about their experiences as well as a doctor's comment on it as well on webmd I believe.

I really hope that something will help you.  Take care.

[sara12345]

With all that you have gone through with your mother, maybe therapy will work for you instead of the anti-depressants.  Sorry that you've had problems with your meds, but you really should try other ones if the therapy doesn't help you.

You talk about the meds "pose serious risks to our health. the question is it worth it in order to be a productive human being.."  It goes far beyond being productive and happy.  

Depression is linked with several major health conditions, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, disability, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis and obesity.

Because of the deterioration of telomeres in the body, people with long term depression "tend to develop earlier and more serious forms of physical illnesses that usually hit people in older age, such as stroke, dementia, heart disease and diabetes. . . brain scans of older people with depression showed much faster age-related loss of volume in the brain compared with people without depression.." See Wall Street Journal, 4/9/2012.

So there is a lot more to weigh in on getting successful help for depression.  Also ECT, electro convulsive therapy, is entirely different from the past.  Many have found help with that, when nothing else helped them.

And yes, I still think that you should go to a doctor ASAP about your severe memory loss.  Go take care of yourself for the sake of YOUR CHILDREN if not for yourself.  You owe it to your children.  

Take care.

[nursegirl6572]

My goodness, I wish I could give you a hug right now.  Your Mom sounds like one hell of an incredible woman.  My God, to have gone through SO much!  What a fighter she was!  I can understand her finally deciding enough is enough, and God love her, despite probaby feeling terrible, for her to make her final days with you and your kids the best she could.    That's just something else!  That was such a touching story, thanks so much for sharing that with us.  I'm sure you hold your Mom close to your heart every day.  

If she were here, I bet she would tell you, "Look how I suffered, it may be different, but a fight is a fight".  She would want you to fight like hell for your kids, just like she did.  She would have kept fighting too, I'm sure, but she probably knew how bad her prognosis was.  Lung cancer usually is so very swift.  But anyway...I bet she would be pushing you to do whatever you needed to do, and she's always probably been your biggest cheerleader.  Despite what you may or may not believe religiously, but I bet she still is, hon.

We've all had our ups and downs, trying different meds, putting ourselves through hell....sleepless nights, then too much sleep, being so nauseated, that it was hard to eat, to weight gain because of an increased appetite.  Feeling jittery, feeling sad, feeling angry, feeling nothing at all.  You know what though?  Personally, I'd do it all again though, because the outcome (when you FINALLY get there) is SO worth it!  I always tell people that with treatment of anxiety and depression, often times we have to feel worse before we feel better.  It's a fair trade off, IMO.

I have to say, and I know everyone feels differently, but I don't really feel a big stigma related to having panic disorder, or depression, or having needed to be on meds at various times in my life.  I found that once I started coming out of my shell about it, I was finding out that there were all kinds of people in my life (VERY close people even) that had VERY similar struggles.  Just before that, no one felt comfy talking about it.  You'd be amazed at how many people you know who suffer with similar battles.

I think you may be onto something with the memory loss.  If you have a lot going on, and a lot on your mind, that most certainly could cause you to be distracted enough to forget things.  I also agree that meds can be the culprit with something like this, but the thing that makes me not as likely to feel that way for you, is because you've been on these meds for a long time.  If you had just recently started taking something, I would be more apt to believe it was med related.  I guess, bottom line is, we could guess all day, and the truth of the matter is, even the doctors would be just guessing.  

It's not like there is a memory blood test where they could draw your blood and say "a-ha!"....your memory loss is from X, Y, or Z.  Even something like Alzheimer's is only diagnosed based on familial history, and symptoms.  It's VERY difficult to determine what kind of dementia a person has.  There is no physical test for Alzheiemers, the only way a diagnosis of it can be completely confirmed is through examination of the brain during a post-mortem autopsy.  Not a lot of people know that.

So, I think the best advice for you is for you to keep an eye on this, and certainly clue your doc in.  There ARE some very basic things he can look at to see if they are contributing to the memory issues (anemia, etc).  I think addressing the stress, and the other emotional issues you have going on would be a VERY good idea, because if THAT is a big factor in you feeling your memory isn't at full throttle, addressing it will improve your memory.  I['ve been posting on these forums since 2008, and I can tell you that memory problems are onwe of the more commonly mentioned symptom when discussing anxiety and depression.

The other possibilities that were mentioned earlier in the thread would be highly unlikely, as seldom would they present with just one vague symptom.  A TIA (transient ischemic attack), or mini stroke, for example usually involves some kind of numbness, tingling, weakness in the extremities, headache, etc.  A TIA won't always be clearly evident on a CT scan or MRI either, it depends on what part of the brain is affected, among other things.  A brain tumor?  Same thing.  Rarely would that present without other, pretty obvious symptoms (headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, vertigo, etc).  Certainly, any new symptom needs reported to your doctor and needs explored.  I'm just trying to put your mind at ease a bit that the chances of what you describe being something very serious like that are pretty slim.

Please continue to share with us, and let us know how you're doing.  We really care, because we understand based on our own personal experiences.  It's a lot easier to talk about these issues with people who "get it".

Take care!

[4Maddie44]

Do you know I am the same about helping oneself.  Easy to tell others to do this, or do that, but do we do it ourselves?  

Yes I too have anti-depressants that have had some unacceptable side effects.  Been depressed 20 odd years, and I have tried many anti-depressants.  The first I was on made me aggressive, another gave me jerks I could not control, another made me climb the walls and run around all the time crying.  You name it, we have had it all haven't we?  

So glad you can tell us your problems.  We all understand as we have been there too.

I am so very sorry about your mom.  Too young to die.  

Yes it is difficult to people who do not understand depression because they have never had it.  How could they?  So many things are involved with depression.

Hopefully when you are less stressed, things will begin to get better.  Meantime keep posting here, as we all like to "talk" to eacch other, as it does help so much.

Take care.

[mommylady]

I plan trying to get in soon. but as I said earlier I am a procrastinator especially when it comes to me helping me.  I wonder seriously about the possibility of just being overwhelmed causing memory loss. I have lots on my mind forsure. I remember symbalta made me angry, effexor made me jittery, yet tired. wellbutren made me nauseated. some L one helped develops a shoppi.ng phobia. thanks again folks. this is the first time I've felt secure in telling all my mental problems. I hate the way people look at you if you tell them your on meds for depression and anxiety .. even friends :/

[mommylady]

The practice of medicine is confusing I'm sure, but then you throw in physical and mental individualism and it seems no more healing than throwing confetti in the air and yelling "TA-DA !!" LOL, that being said, I think that is why these forums are so helpful. they help us through the good bad and ugly. a doc. looks at a drug and thinks ok that may/may not help you...you take it and say it works or get me off this junk. all these drugs are not natural and pose serious risks to our health. the question is it worth it in order to be a productive human being. that's to the individuals discretion.
to answers about my mom...no prob. I feel soothed telling her story. she was 36 when she got breast cancer, she had 9 lymph nodes removed, a lumpectomy radiation and chemo. 8 yrs later she found a hot Mark on her arm which turned out to be mircle(?)cell cancer. radiation,chemo. then about. a month later thought she had a bleeding ulser but it was esophageal cancer. Docs removed part of stomach and esophagus and next day she developed gangrene. she had to have 40# of muscle and tissue removed before they caught up with it. she was in ICU for months. she healed up and had chemo for the cancer. when she went in for a check up she was 54 found out she had lung cancer and a tumor was developing behind her eye. she decided no more chemo...she sold everything she could and took me and my kids for swimming at motels and all kinds of fun things. she died a month before her birthday. we had home hospice. it was extremely hard to watch her die. i am an only child and was very close to my mom. I went into shock for about 5 years. nightmares, panic attacks, depression weight gain..you name it I did it. I finally feel I've regained something.of what I once was. but I missed a lot. I focused on my children to keep myself from dealing with it head on. it helped them,but not me. I don't have nightmares or panic attack anymore, but I am inactive and UN motivated a lot.

[4Maddie44]

I am so sorry about all the above which had absolutely nothing to do with your original question.  Let's get back to that.

How are you.  Have you had any luck with the doctors about your memory loss?

[sara12345]

Very good explanation. Thanks so much.

[nursegirl6572]

I don't have any details on that.  Because there were multiple posts, from multiple posters, it's probably safe to assume they were pulled because they violated the TOS.  

In the end, it was probably a good thing, as those posts were all starting to go off topic, and could have been seen as disruptive to the thread (a "hijack" if you will).

The mods have a rough job, I don't envy them!  :0)

[sara12345]

Thanks for letting me know.

Did management decide to delete them?  Or can a responder ask for answers to be deleted?

[nursegirl6572]

I posted on your other thread.  There were several posts deleted from the thread, that's why you're not seeing them.