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Epilepsy and Memory Loss

Sun, 10/08/2006 - 19:36
I'm brand new to this forum. Looking it over, I don't see my major problem & don't have much info about it. I have lost alot of my memory & it supposedly is because of seizures. I have been on Neurontin since I had some blackouts, which I guess are called Absence Seizures. I just blank out & my eyes get glassy. I want to know if the memory loss & "feeling weird" are the result of having Epilepsy, or could they be from meds? I also take Effexor XR for depression. I tried to go off that when I thought maybe I'd been mistakenly diagosed with depression before they realized I have Epilepsy. That resulted in some very bad mental & emotional health problems. I'm taking both now, & the memory loss & (sometimes)weird feelings persist. Anyone out there know anything about these issues?

Comments

Re: Epilepsy and Memory Loss

Submitted by emilyseizure on Tue, 2009-07-14 - 14:07
Hi Tricia, It sounds like you are having occasional nocturnal seizures - grand mal nocturnal seizures. The cheek bite is a pretty good indicator. Have you talked with your doctor about nocturnal seizures? If you are having them, you might want to adjust your medication level - if you are taking medicine. Breakout seizures every once in a while show that the medication is not doing its job. When you wake up after having bitten your cheek, do you feel really tired? But congratulations on the limited number of grand mals that you have experienced. Only 3!!! (clearly identified ones). Thats great! I've had so many that I haven't bothered counting. On the 20th I'm taking a neuropsychological exam. Hope my doctor and I will learn something about my memory from it. Sincerely, EmilyP

Re: Epilepsy and Memory Loss

Submitted by needja on Wed, 2009-08-05 - 22:21

Great forum...at 56 with a lifetime history of epilepsy of unknown orgin I've had my share of Grand-Mals and complex partial....anyway as for memory loss...you bet ya big time.  I did a document for our local Senior Center several weeks ago and passed it out to all the Board Members.  They discussed it today and I knew nothing about creating this document!  I looked at it, they and I were impressed but I have no recall of doing this!!  I came home and checked into my computer and documents and there it is!!

What I am wondering....absent seizures??  This is not a first time occurance.  Forget names a face recognition, individuals continually say hello to me and I haven't a clue who they are!  I am active in the County and do know a lot of people.  "you don't remember" seems to be a upcoming montra from my friends.  At least they are kind and understanding.  My last Grandmal, that I know of, I live alone, was at nite on 11/21/08  I awoke and had eaten the left side of my tongue, literally!  I slept for the next 48 hours.  I have been on Mysoline since I was 20 and additionally topamax for the last 10 years.

There are so many of us with this "disease" that is seldom spoken of or shared with legislative health care issues and changes it's a shame....the cost of medication alone without insurance!!  I have gone to Canada for mine.  Been a licensed Vocational Nurse x 35 years and finally qualified for SSD a couple of months ago.  I have 3 fused cervical discs from seizures and another possible surgery needed. 

Anyway thank you for letting me share....I will forget I did this within the next several days!! lol lol lol

Great forum...at 56 with a lifetime history of epilepsy of unknown orgin I've had my share of Grand-Mals and complex partial....anyway as for memory loss...you bet ya big time.  I did a document for our local Senior Center several weeks ago and passed it out to all the Board Members.  They discussed it today and I knew nothing about creating this document!  I looked at it, they and I were impressed but I have no recall of doing this!!  I came home and checked into my computer and documents and there it is!!

What I am wondering....absent seizures??  This is not a first time occurance.  Forget names a face recognition, individuals continually say hello to me and I haven't a clue who they are!  I am active in the County and do know a lot of people.  "you don't remember" seems to be a upcoming montra from my friends.  At least they are kind and understanding.  My last Grandmal, that I know of, I live alone, was at nite on 11/21/08  I awoke and had eaten the left side of my tongue, literally!  I slept for the next 48 hours.  I have been on Mysoline since I was 20 and additionally topamax for the last 10 years.

There are so many of us with this "disease" that is seldom spoken of or shared with legislative health care issues and changes it's a shame....the cost of medication alone without insurance!!  I have gone to Canada for mine.  Been a licensed Vocational Nurse x 35 years and finally qualified for SSD a couple of months ago.  I have 3 fused cervical discs from seizures and another possible surgery needed. 

Anyway thank you for letting me share....I will forget I did this within the next several days!! lol lol lol

Re: Epilepsy and Memory Loss

Submitted by JadedSparrow on Thu, 2012-04-05 - 11:09
I was on google and came across this site. The last couple of weeks have been very odd for me. Two weeks ago today I was on my way to work. I pulled my car over and called my little brother to ask him to come and get me. He made it to me and drove us home. According to him I had about a 3min Gran Mal in the car. I woke up the following day with the most awful headache. That is something Im used to. What I am not used to is not being able to remember the last 2-3 months of my life. My taste buds were like they had been reset, along with some other things that gave me pause. I have been on medication for this condition since 06', but I dont ever recall losing this much of my memory. My girlfriend a few years back told me I was forgetting a day or so here and there after a seizure, but never this much time. I made an appointment and asked my doctor what was going on, to which he replied, oh you may suffer from memory loss because of your condition, and he left it at that. I have had the same odd feeling on the left side of my head since my last seizure and things just seem very strange. I cant put a face with most of the names on my contact list in my phone; I cant even really remember how to get to work...I am very thankful that I found this site because it makes this somewhat easier to handle knowing there are others who are dealing with the same thing I am right now. My only question is this, for any and all who have suffered from memory loss, have you gotten any of those memories back or are they lost forever?

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