IQ loss?

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Loopy Lou

Loopy Lou

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A few years ago (ok maybe about 5-6 years ago) I did an IQ test and got a score of 135, any other tests i did were around that area.

Last week i did an IQ test and got 70. That's one point above "Challenged".

I was pretty tired on the day i did it, but i did it because i'm sure i'm getting stupider.

Can having seizures or epilepsy affect a person's intellect like that? I told my brother and he thought i was joking!
 
What med(s) are you taking? Some of them can make folks more forgetful, effecting your testing.
 
I'm on Keppra (3000mg) and Tegretol (600mg). I was really tired on the day i did it, so i thought i'd maybe come out at about 100IQ or something but 70 was a real shock!
 
Blame the meds. You're taking quite a bit, plus the Keppra can make one spacey and cranky. Or if the seizures start in the hippocampus, that can play a part in the memory, IQ. I feel very stupid most of the time now 'cause I cannot remember so many things now. I wouldn't even want to take an IQ test now.

I take 3000 mgs. Keppra and 200 mgs. Topomax.
 
Mine originate in the temporal lobes.

I feel like i have to think harder to get anywhere, i used to prize my intelligence lol.
 
I don't know what my IQ would be if I took a test but it would probably be alot lower than it would have been before I had epilepsy. I'm also on those meds Loopy Lou plus Depakote and Lamictal.

I have so much trouble remembering things and even just thinking of words in general. I can be looking at the thing and still can't remember what it's called. If a tv show ended in a clif hanger my husband has to tell me again what it was so I know what is going on in the next episode.
 
I don't think I've had my IQ tested since High school but I'm sure it's suffered since the seizure and probably before cause I do have memory loss. However, I think it's from my Hypothyroidism
 
Loopy Lou said:
Last week i did an IQ test and got 70. That's one point above "Challenged".


Can having seizures or epilepsy affect a person's intellect like that? I told my brother and he thought i was joking!
Click to expand...

I don't think you have become "challenged"; we all have more challenges than many, but I don't at all think you're technically "challenged". For one thing; from all the posts I've read that you've written, it's clear you have nothing to worry about on that point. :) For another thing; though seizures and aeds can cause cognitive problems, I don't think in most cases they cause an overall drop in intelligence. I don't think the meds make us stupid, just less able to concentrate on specific tasks...like test-taking.:eek:

I had to take a neuropsych evaluation before brain surgery, and did well until I got to math. It was very basic math, but I couldn't make sense of it to save my life. I've always been a bit of a math-phobe but can do it when I don't let myself panic. But since having epilepsy and taking aeds, I can all-of-a-sudden lose the ability to do even basic addition when I am the least bit distracted, tired, nervous, etc. It can be worrying and embarrassing, but I've tried not to let it get me down. When I'm well rested, and not nervous or distracted, I'm still able to get by in math.
 
Were the two tests equivalent? Like same setting and administered by a professional? I would be worried too if I saw such a drop. I agree with the others that the medicines can mess you up. If you get seizures in the temporal lobes, it seems reasonable to think you may have damage there which would affect your IQ. More importantly is your description of how you feel. You stated you feel like you are "getting stupider". I always say you know yourself better than anyone. If you feel this way, its probably true. Now taking the test tired... most likely affected things negatively. So the result I suspect is probably really much higher. Either way, you write well and sound very intelligent based off your posts. :).

You've brought up an interesting point though. Let us know if the tests were equivalent. And if you got any feedback about this from your doctor.
 
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It was exactly the same test both times, one the BBC set up years ago. It was a huge experiment to test the general IQ of the nation in different groups of society.

I was supposed to have my neuropsychology appointment on thursday but it was cancelled because the neuropsychologist is signed off sick. It's ok, i've only been waiting about a year and a half for an appointment!

The questions i really struggled with are picture ones and sequences ie "what comes next in this sequence" and then there's a seemingly random bunch of numbers or pictures. The word questions were fine.

Anyhoo i've decided i'm not going to worry about it too much but i'll bring it up with whoever i have my next appointment with, probaby the neuropsychologist if i get another appointment.
 
I don't know what my IQ is but I do know that I really found it difficult to play Scattergories the other night with my family. It's a game where you have to think up one word for a number of topics that start with the same letter that is rolled on a piece of dice with all the letters of the alphabet on it. I used to think that anything connected to language was my specialty.

But I wonder if you took it on another day if you would have different results?

I also believe that people who are deemed "smart" does not necessarily mean they will do well in life. People with common sense, a good attitude and an awareness and sensitivity of those around you are usually much happier. Easier said than done of course.

I also believe that it is pointless to worry about things you cannot change.

But look into for sure if it is troubling you! Let us know what "the experts" say.
 
Ooohhhh I wonder if I'm smart enough to find an IQ test online...:p :)
 
Lou, when you get your appointment with the neuropsych, you might want to bring up any concerns. In the meantime, if you feel basically on top of things, don't let the results bother you. Being tired can make a huge difference. So can being hungry or anxious or otherwise stressed. It might make sense to take the test again in 6 months or so, to see if there are any changes.
 
I know for me, my neuro told me with every seizure (for me), brain cells die off and I will not get smarter by any means :/ Plus she said she could see changes on my MRI. Made me pretty sad. I was never really book smart to begin with and now, I have trouble remembering which way to go, when going somewhere... if that makes sense? I have to really think. :/

I pray this is not the case for you.
 
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I rather suspect, just from reading your post, that your score of 70 isn't an accurate measure of your true intelligence.

But at any rate, I think that seizures (and/or seizure meds) can have both temporary and long-term effects on cognitive ability. Medications like Topomax can have marked effect on language (specifically the memory bank -- trying to remember the word you want to say), and this can be long term.

Our son suffered tremendous cognitive loss from age 5 to age 7 -- even after going on the Ketogenic diet and gaining seizure control and weaning off all his meds, he still hasn't regained his lost language or other cognitive skills.

That being said, it's normal for our IQ scores to wane as we age, unless we're reading a lot, doing puzzles and high maths a lot, learning new languages, etc. to stimulate our brains. When we're in school, our brains are highly stimulated, but as adults in regular jobs, we only use a tiny percentage of our brain power, and thus get a bit rusty.
 
My neuropsychologist told me that the IQ won't drop, but there are things that will affect your testing/memory (I told him I felt like I was getting dumber, and that was his response). He told me it's really common with people who have epilepsy for their processing speed and memory to drop. Even if you're still intelligent, it's hard to score well if you aren't processing things as quickly. He described processing speed along the lines of executive functioning... If your brain is moving slower, you're going to inevitability miss things if you're doing something timed.

I scored really poorly on the "make shapes" portion of my neuropsych eval (i.e. I had to look at a picture, and make the same shape with several other shapes). I couldn't figure it out.. sounds kinda similar to your "what comes next" sequence.

And as others have mentioned, there are other factors that could cause your score. As Karen said, and like my neuropsych said, age can slow things down. Sleep would also have a big effect on your ability to think. Oh, and who can forget the medications :)
 
My oldest son had a score of 100 (average) when tested in grade school. The school psychologist said he was accurate on the test items, but very slow, so if it were timed, he would get a lower score. At that time, he had frequent migraines, but not seizures (altho they seem related).

When we moved to Asia, the migraines went away. Not sure if he outgrew them, or the change in diet, or perhaps less stress. I also homeschooled him during that period -- so he had a quite intensive study program, but not a lot of pressure -- I allowed him to set his own time table for study. He ended up getting a free ride through college on an academic scholarship.

He was recently tested for his job with the military, and got a 145 -- and right now he's studying nuclear physics. Just for fun, we had him do a couple of those internet tests, and he scored really high on those.

So, if the original score was correct, he either increased in intelligence, or perhaps just learned how to do better on IQ tests (or maybe getting rid of migraines increased his processing speed).
 
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