Hi...slightly overwhelmed with questions...

[mfun]

I am on dilantin and tegeretol.
1st question: my short term memory is not that great and I think it is getting worse. My wife thinks that I just don't care enough to pay attention. Obviously this bothers her but it bothers me more. It bothers me because it makes me feel less. It also bothers me just becuase it bothers her. Can this be due to the meds?
2nd question: Once in a great while, 2-3 time per year, I get this really weird feeling for 2-3 days at a time. Usually it happens if I take my medication later than usual. It is hard to explain without seeming crazy. It is like I lose all of my confidence in myself and anythought that comes in my mind is apt to come out. So I find myself saying that I screwed up outloud. I am not normally like this. Sometimes the short term memory thing is a blessing with this. It is more that just this though. I feel like my physical speaking voice is not my own. Like my voice sounds wrong and the words are someone elses. In addition, I will have the hardest time coming up with words that I should know. Names and nouns mostly. I have to alter my speach to try to cover it. Has anyone experienced anything similar to this at all?
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[valeriedl]

This all happens to me.

My memory is horrible, it's due to the epilepsy and I think that some meds do cause memory problems too.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy 9 years ago and almost everything that happened 10 years before it dissapeared. At first after every seizure I'd loose a day or two of memory. Also at first things would only stay up in my brain for maybe a month then start to fade away.

Now 9 years later things might stay up there for about 6 months (at the most) then start to fade out. My husband (who is used to this by now and understands) and I will be talking about things that I have no memory of completely. Vacations that we've gone on things we've done, etc... It even took me about 3 years to remember that Pres. Regan died and the two of us even watched his funeral together on tv. That's sort of a joke between the two of us now.

I have the worst time thinking of words too. I know what I'm trying to say and I can usually even describe it, but I have no idea of what the actual word is. This happens ALOT. It's sort of like a game that I'm playing with a person when it happens.

As far as the wierd feelings, I'll get them too. But mine usually will last about 15 minutes or so. I think it's small seizures that I'm having. I don't know if that's what could be going on with you too or not? Try to always take your meds on time, it's very improtant that you do that.

I have an alarm set on my cell phone to go off when it's med time. This way if I loose track of time the alarm is always there to make sure I take them on time.

Glad to meet you, you'll get alot of good answers to your questons here and find out that your not the only one who has to deal with the things that are going on in your life.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi mfun, welcome!

If your seizures are controlled, then the memory issues are probably related to the medication. One med I was on definitely made it hard for me to come up with words (for instance, I couldn't remember "post office".) When I switched off that med, the problem went away. You might want to let your neuro know about the problems you've been having.