Amnesia Moment

My latest amnesia moment has me a bit rattled. It was nothing important, but I'm concerned nonetheless.

Today my daughters asked to have an ice cream sandwich treat that we recently bought. The box had 6 treats in it. I said yes, and I would like one, too. They each took one, and handed one to me, and threw away the empty box. I demanded to know where the other 3 treats were. They stared at me, and explained they the three of us each had one yesterday.

I had absolutely no recollection of having an ice cream treat with them yesterday. None at all. I don't remember them having one, and I don't remember me having one, and apparently my mom and my father in law were visiting us at the time and can back up this story. I called my mom, not because I don't believe my kids, but because I was scared that I don't remember this incident.

Sure enough, my mom verified that my daughters and I had ice cream treats, and even told me some of the conversation I had while I was eating it, just as my daughters had done.

Again, it's not an important thing to have amnesia about. I didn't forget to pick anyone up from school, I didn't forget to deposit or withdraw money from the bank, I didn't forget to pay a bill, etc.

My mom did mention that I looked very tired while eating the treat. Maybe there's some low-blood sugar/brain fog connection.

I have mentioned these episodes to my neurosurgeon's PA and she is not concerned about them. She said it's concerning when I don't know what to do with a car key (not my situation).

I don't know why this one is bothering me, but it is. I'm just venting I guess. The mind is mysterious.

Those are the type of things that happened to me when I was taking Ativan. It's not typical forgetfulness, it's a complete black out of any memory at all for a chunk of time. And nothing can spark it back.

One morning I left for work five minutes early to get gas. I got in the truck and the gas gauge said full. So I had to go back in the house and ask my wife if she filled the truck sometime during the night. Then I realized I had no recollection of the entire drive home from work the previous night. I might as well drank myself into a blackout.

I had a couple weeks with these little drop outs of time. So I had to stop that med before I lost my sanity. And the doc never advised me that this is a side effect.

So if these kind of memory blackouts keep up check the side effects of your meds. When we forget something we will usually have something to trigger our brain and then we remember. Blackouts are just missing chunks of time. Nothing will trigger any memories.

For me it was very creepy and disturbing.

I had a scary one like that at one time too. I started out to the grocery store. I was driving along and had no idea where I was supposed to be going. I paniced. I couldn't remember where I was supposed to be headed until I saw the grocery list on the car seat next to me. I went to see the doctor and he said it was most likely due to the Topamax. He lowered the dosage and I went back to my nomal level of forgetfulness (still pretty forgetful.) I was later taken completely off of Topamax by my new neuro because I had a kidney stone and apparently Topamax can cause them.

Anyway.... I once told the doctor who I'm worried about how forgetful I am all the time. She told me... "You don't have to worry if you forget where you put your keys. It's only a problem if you forget you own a car." I'm not that bad, so I guess it's ok. lol

What about when you forget where first gear is? This was the one that freaked me out a while back. I can drive stick or column shift. Do thousands of miles a year and was sitting in a car park totally unable to think what the gear shift pattern was....duh

I can't even count the number of these moments I've had.

Ativan is quite known for this, it's one of the reasons we give it out before more traumatic events, as for some it erases the memory (ie a gyn exam after a rape).

I'm the worst with zoplicone/imovane. My wife knows to not have any meaningful coversations after I've taken one, as I can't remember any of it.

I've even taken advantage of it. The other day the season finale for Gray's Anatomy was on, but I wasn't caught up this season, so I didn't want to ruin it. But then I realised I could watch it and not remember and I did just that. lol. I'm a real winner some times!

milo wrote: .............My wife knows to not have any meaningful coversations after I've taken one, as I can't remember any of it..........

I have that situation also except I don't need any medications. It's a talent I was born with.

Brent wrote:

milo wrote: .............My wife knows to not have any meaningful coversations after I've taken one, as I can't remember any of it..........

I have that situation also except I don't need any medications. It's a talent I was born with.

Aren't all men born with that? ROTFLOL... sorry guys. just kidding.... kind of.

I've had three similar instances in my life that I know about. But they were times when someone said something to me, and I responded, but had no knowledge of that. For example, in high school, my drama teacher said she had asked me to join the drama club, but I had refused. I didn't learn about this until later in the year and was really upset because if I had known that I was being invited to join the drama club, I would have jumped at the chance. The only reason I hadn't joined it on my own was because I thought the teacher didn't like my acting (believe it or not, drama was the only class in high school in which I received a B! It was a B-!). There was another time when someone invited me to something and I said no without knowing anything about the occasion until much later. I would have eagerly said yes if I had been conscious. It has bothered me that I have had such blackouts, but since I've had only three in my life that I know about, I figure it's not worth reporting.

I don't know if this applies. Yesterday was June 7. I was married to my first husband on January 7, 1984. I was thinking all day yesterday that it would have been 26 years had the marriage lasted. I didn't think it was January, yesterday. I am fully aware of the month I had been married but I guess I got hung up on the day (it being the 7th).

I have noticed the last few years that I have trouble using the "cross referencing" ability in my memory. I can remember things in a linear process but something which would normally trigger a tangental memory just doesn't happen.

I'm sure it is a combination of aging, genetics, medication and the fact that I am not out among people during the day.

Are you on any medications? Topamax did this to me. After flushing the whole bottle of that drug down the toilet my memory came back (except for that old age memory lapse that happens occasionally). I wouldn't be too concerned. If you are taking a drug with that side effect, you might reconsider and weigh the pros and cons of the drug.

Topamax made mine much worse, but I still have mega problems remembering. I think it's a combination of other medications and the migraines themselves.

I've noticed I got way stupider over the last past few years.
I used to read "deeper" books, translated articles for polish migraine forum, were interested in at least daily news. Now if it isn't a simple detective story I don't understand what I read. It's too complicated to comprehend.
My eyes glaze over any technical lingo.
If I flip from window to window I forgot what I was reading right then and there what I was supposed to translate, it could be as simple as converting pounds to kilos, so I end up having to copy and paste the attempted translated text into the same frame.

I believe it's a toll that M takes on the brain.
It's not only the meds as I started Topamax about a year ago at most
but I've became forgetful and stupider years before that.

yes I firmly believe, whatever M does to our brain, it does considerable damage. Sadly.

Risa

Ditto Risa - Untreated migraines have to do damage.

I agree, too, Risa. I miss the ability to think, remember and concentrate the way I used to.

My migraines are treated but not controlled since they continue to be daily. I just think the repeated abuse of the migraines takes its toll on the brain.

I have also noticed some of my mental faculties have diminished since the migs hit a couple years ago. It's hard to tell how much is from all the meds we end up trying or if the migs themselves are slowly causing damage.

I don't use the words I used to and will forget names real bad. It's hard to complete sentence without grasping for a particular word. It's much worse then the typical brain function loss that comes from aging. Even typing is a real challenge where before I could zip out sentences with hardly any errors now I screw it up enough I hate chating online.

Even though the sinus surgery has greatly diminished mine it appears there is still the brain function problems.

But at least here we are all in good company.

Yes, actually I am on topamax (300mg), and never thought about a connection between the medication and the amnesia episodes. At least that points a finger at a possible suspect.

AZgirl - Definitely Topamax is a culprit. That is the main reason people go off of it.

Topamax can mess you over in more ways then you can keep track of. It was the most horrible med I was put on ever.

No kidding Brent. I can't believe people actually use it or are even prescribed it. I don't care how good it helps their migraines. It would have to cure mine 100% before I would do that to myself again.

Sometimes I feel like i've become one big amnesia moment!

My memory is getting worse and worse and words seem harder and harder to come by. Names? Forget it! This has all been over the last couple years when all of this started with me. Everyone keeps telling me it's age but i'm only 45 - if it gets worse with age - i'm in real trouble before long!

newtothis - are you on medication?

I'm on both notriptylene and verapamil.

I wouldn't think either of those drugs would affect you but who knows. Maybe as we get older, memory doesn't go, it is just that so many are on medications.

I have found that they make me overly tired and hungry all of the time!

I was on topamax for a month or so but my new neuro took me off of it and put me on what i'm on now. With the topamax I had no appetite at all. Now i'm making up for it!

Take them at bedtime.