Loss of intelligence/memory after seizures are controlled?

[Stephanie86]

My seizures have been controlled for about a year on Lamictal. Over the past 2-3 months I have experienced extreme memory loss and my intelligence seems to be declining rapidly. Could this be related to epilepsy even after my seizures are controlled? Thanks.

[Endless]

Hi, Stephanie,

Gosh, I'm sorry about your memory problems. That's a big club in here, and everybody belongs. So you have lots of company that really understands what you are going through.

Memory loss can be a side effect of Lamictal. You might want to think about a visit to your doctor to let her/him know - your meds may need adjusting. Side effects can pop up months or years after you start taking a medication.

Memory issues could also be due to epilepsy and long-term changes to your brain. It could also be an indicator that maybe you are having one of the more subtle breakthrough seizures and you aren't aware of it. If you are older, it could also be age-related.

http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1063660566

Your doctor should be able to sort it all out. Hang in there.

[Cint]

from summary of Antiepileptic drugs on epilepsy.com

Side effects: Side effects listed below are a brief compilation of the most common and most worrisome, not a full list. Every seizure medicine can sometimes cause side effects of fatigue, dizziness, unsteadiness, blurry vision, stomach upset, headaches, and reduced resistance to colds, memory and thinking problems.

Effects on internal organs: All seizure medicines can cause problems with blood counts (white cells, red cells and platelets), or liver or other internal organs, so doctors usually order blood tests to screen for these problems. Blood can be tested when starting a medicine to get a baseline, after a few months on the drug, every few months to yearly thereafter, then at individually determined times. The package insert often has recommendations, but there are no universal rules about when to test blood. All seizure medicines can produce either mild or severe allergic reactions. One, called the hypersensitivity syndrome, produces fever, rash, fluid accumulation, swollen lymph nodes, possible liver injury and confusion

[Stephanie86]

Guess what, I forgot I posted this question Thanks for the replies, though! :-)

My memory has been getting steadily worse over the past 4 years or so, and I was just diagnosed in '08. But for 2-3 months it's been really going downhill, so it seems like the Lamictal isn't the culprit. Maybe I'm wrong, though. I feel so stupid, because I used to be so smart. I feel like what I imagine the early stages of Alzheimer's feels like.

I've been to psychologists since I was 15 (I'm 24 now) and no one can figure out what's wrong. I have severe OCD to the point that I am almost homebound. I have psychotic episodes (paranoia, delusions, etc.) every year or so. None of the psychiatric medications have ever been effective. Could all of this be related to permanant brain damage from the seizures? The MRI didn't show any damage, but would it really show anything?

[Nakamova]

People with epilepsy seek help for memory problems more often than for any other impairment. In part it's because large portion of memory is located in the temporal lobe. Damage to that area from a lesion, or because of temporal lobe and other epilepsies can cause both temporary and cumulative memory issues. Aside from the loss of memories immediately before, during, and after a seizure, some people with epilepsy can experience unusual electrical activity within the brain between seizures and this can also affect attention and memory functioning.

The meds interfere with memory functioning, since they can affect the speed at which the brain can process information. And there can be other contributing factors, like attention issues, anxiety and depression, and sleep disturbances that disrupt the brain's attention and ability to store memories.

Since it could be the combination of the seizures and the meds that are affecting your memory, it's definitely worth contacting your doctor, and possibly getting a neuropsych evaluation (basically a set of tests of how well your memory is functioning) to set a baseline to measure any changes against.

[Aicila]

I have serious memory issues since I had the big cluster of seizures a little while ago. People used to comment on how frustrated they would get with me because I was like a tape recorder. A month after a conversation I would be able to 'remember when you said...'. Now...I have a very hard time remembering a lot of things. I also think when I forget things I tend to fill in the blanks with what makes most sense. This has caused so many arguments between me and my husband. I don't realize that I fill in the blanks when it happens, so when I do that I really believe what I think I remember is right. I am also stubborn by nature. I try to think about and be aware that I might be doing this, but the memories just seem so real. I also started stuttoring more. Not getting stuck on syllables, but getting stuck because I have a hard time thinking of a word, or the sentence in my head makes sense but when I start to say it, it starts to come out weird so I repeat words until I can rearrange what I was going to say. So, a lot of times I feel really retarded.

[Bernard]

My wife went through a period where she was having extreme seizure activity and also not tolerating depakote. She was literally like a zombie - sleeping on the couch all day long and unable to remember anything - even the names of our children, much less what she ate the meal previous. She couldn't even speak in complete sentences at times. It was very scary.

However, she got off depakote and on a new anti-epileptic drug, started neurofeedback (again) and eventually got the seizure activity back under control. Her memory and cognitive functioning slowly returned to normal over the course of several months.

I'd guess that either you are suffering a side effect from the medication or you're having seizures that you aren't aware of (or both).

[Stephanie86]

I'm so sorry that a lot of people have this problem. I really appreciate all of your input. I called the neurologist and I'm going in on Tuesday for another EEG.