Epilepsy and Memory Loss

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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 rosanna1980 on Sat, 2012-04-14 - 23:57

Thank you for your post. You are probably the first person i've found to have exactly my same symptoms. I had my first seizure (grand mal) last October. So, i'm still adjusting to the news of my diagnosis. I get very angry easily, think one word and say another, and my short term memory is almost gone. I literally cannot remember what I even wore or ate just yesterday. I'm also on dilantin (phenytoin) after a side effect disaster with keppra. I have no aura, though. So, i have absolutely no clue when i'm about to seize. And, my family does NOT understand me or this condition. They say it's "in the water". So, I don't really have anyone who understands. I jerk and have tremors almost every day and just started having weakness in my right hand sometimes. Docs all say the same thing- "we don't know". My CT, MRI, and EEG were all normal, as well. So, it looks like i'm just gonna have to live with it. I lost my job shortly after my first seizure and now have no insurance to get the care and tests I really need. Not saying this for pity. Just glad someone knows what this is like. Hopefully, the memory will not get any worse.

Do you have any jerking or tremors on a regular basis?

Thank you for your post. You are probably the first person i've found to have exactly my same symptoms. I had my first seizure (grand mal) last October. So, i'm still adjusting to the news of my diagnosis. I get very angry easily, think one word and say another, and my short term memory is almost gone. I literally cannot remember what I even wore or ate just yesterday. I'm also on dilantin (phenytoin) after a side effect disaster with keppra. I have no aura, though. So, i have absolutely no clue when i'm about to seize. And, my family does NOT understand me or this condition. They say it's "in the water". So, I don't really have anyone who understands. I jerk and have tremors almost every day and just started having weakness in my right hand sometimes. Docs all say the same thing- "we don't know". My CT, MRI, and EEG were all normal, as well. So, it looks like i'm just gonna have to live with it. I lost my job shortly after my first seizure and now have no insurance to get the care and tests I really need. Not saying this for pity. Just glad someone knows what this is like. Hopefully, the memory will not get any worse.

Do you have any jerking or tremors on a regular basis?

I am suffering from horrible

Submitted by aquila316 on Sun, 2006-10-08 - 20:06

I am suffering from horrible memory loss ever since the debilitating sz I experienced on the 27th. I can't remember friends' names, I can't find the names for things, and I went without meds for so long I'm afraid to tell anyone. Long story short, I had a 30 or 45 minute Tonic/Clonic and have not been myself since. I'm afraid I may have caused permanant damage to my brain, and going back to the neuro is even scarier than when I was a kid. I have experienced some of the weirdest emotions ever, and can say without a doubt it wasn't meds. I was without meds for 8 or 9 years...(don't suggest that, either). I am tryimg to put my life back in order, and am hoping to keep it from happening to anyone else. Still hanging in there, Susan

Re: I am suffering from horrible

Submitted by Terri N. on Sun, 2006-10-08 - 20:42

To aquila 316 re: memory loss: Thank you for responding so soon about memory loss. I'm so sorry to hear of your debilitating experience. I've never had that bad of seizures...just the blacking out or absence seizures and they have been mostly controlled w/ my med. However, I still have the ongoing memory problems. I will recognize people, but can't remember how I know them or their names. A word or name will ring a bell, but I can't remember anything else about it. I was only diagnosed with Epilepsy and put on meds within the last 2 years. It sounds like you should talk to your doctor. Were you alone when you had the sz 9/27? How long were you off your meds? Forgot to take them? I care. Terri N.