I swear these headaches are making me stupid!

Ever since my daily chronic migraine started a year ago, I swear I've gotten stupider! I can't type or spell properly, I forget stuff all the time, I can't play cards and remember the rules. It's so frustrating! I'm 47 and easing into perimenopause so not sure if that's part of it or not but I feel like a complete moron! Anyone else have this happening?

Unfortunately yes. My husband says I lose 20 IQ points when I've got a migraine. I think it's probably more than that. And I don't think I have the attentional focus, memory or general cognitive functioning that I had before, even when I don't have the migraines. I think that some of the research has shown that migraines actually lead to minor brain damage similar to stroke victims.

The best recommendation I've read is to try to get exercise. Walking 7-10 miles per week (that's just a mile a day) is the best thing you can do to prevent cognitive decline with aging. That's pretty hard to accomplish when you've got a headache, but apparently it's the best thing for us. That and a sense of humor! I refuse to get too worried about it.

Oh definitely! I get really stupid during attacks. I can't focus my attention on anything. My memory is horrible all the time. I'm not sure if it's the migraines, the meds, perimenopause, or a combination of all of the above. It's gotten so bad, my husband has threatened to hang a chalk board around my neck so I can remember things.

It's so bad for me I will forget what I am talking about mid-sentence when a migraine is coming on, I have a migraine, or during the 'medication hangover' for a few days after the headache. I will walk downstairs to get something, and forget what I was looking for by the time I get to the bottom step.

Exercise? I get plenty of miles walking from one room to another, going upstairs or downstairs because I constantly forget, what it was I meant to do, or what to get.

Brenda said: "I'm not sure if it's the migraines, the meds, perimenopause, or a combination of all of the above"
I can relate to this completely.

Yes, migraine has turned me into this absentminded, eccentric person who covers up her embarassment and too many mistakes, by laughing about it and making jokes (whilst often inside I am screaming with frustration).
I am so ineffcient and slow these days, everything takes me ages.
And all this, beacause migraine has zapped my brain, so I cannot function properly any more.

It is a great comfort to know that others here expcerienced this feelings as well, even if as I write this, I sincerly wish that none of us had to suffer this way.

"Exercise? I get plenty of miles walking from one room to another, going upstairs or downstairs becasue I constantly forget what it was I meant to do, or what to get."

Oh yeah....this describes me to a "t".

Simple things like balancing the checkbook have become such a challenge most days. I need to have the directions for card games (even ones I've played all my life) explained to me every time I attempt to play with someone. So frustrating!

Even when I don't have a migraine I now feel as though my ability to speak is impaired. My tongue feels like a big fat heavy thing that takes far more effort to move to make the right sounds than it used to. Ten times worse with a migraine, but also bad all the time.

Exercise? I get plenty of miles walking from one room to another, going upstairs or downstairs because I constantly forget, what it was I meant to do, or what to get.

Ha! Ha! I can certainly relate to that. Maybe it is God's way of making us get some exercise?

I'm on day 4 of a migraine, and today so far I had an entire conversation with my partner about his day off 'tomorrow' thinking today was saturday and its not as he pointed out its friday today....I have completely lost track of days. I also attempted to make some pasta (with head thumping), went to serve lunch only to realise I completely forgot to make sauce to go with it....not like me at all lol. Needless to say we had a very unexciting lunch.

I also find my typing goes completely wrong, I can usually type quite fast without looking at the screen with no need to really think about spelling....with a migraine, forget it I constantly spell things wrong and can't remember where a certain key is on the keyboard even though I've been typing 20 odd years lol.

Inbetween migraines I am fine, but during I become very forgetful and feel like my brain is lagging behind my body if that makes sense.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

I have asked my doctor about what is causing my lack of memory and he says it is part of the disease.

When I am talking to someone I will have difficulty recalling the simplest words.

I have a notebook that I take everywhere I go so I can write things down.

My husband will tell me something and the next day I will have forgotten what he said.

It is very frustrating to say the least.

Another good reason to get some daily exercise.

Cindy

I used to be a brilliant attorney: graduated validictorian (see, now I can't even spell it) and with honors from law school. One of the many reasons I had to quit and go on disability was b/c I couldn't remember things, put arguements together, or even remember names of friends i know. It has gotten so much worse since then. I hate it. I went from being so super intelligent (I would never have admitted that back then b/c it would sound awful, but now that I'm a moron I can admit it) to being a complete idiot.

My doctor says it is b/c of the chronic pain, but I often wonder if that is really it. I have those white lesions on my brain that so many of us have, was on narcotics for years, and now take a ton of different medications to help manage the migraines (which don't seem to do a darn thing). It just feels like if I do ever better (whatever that would be?), I might still be a moron. Very frusturating. I hear your pain.

It may not be the migraines causing the stupids. A rather alarming story in the Times today. Apparently many of the drugs we take cause cognitive impairment over time. We all thought it was from the migraines, but maybe it's the meds. I checked the list online and both amitriptyline and nortriptaline are in the worst category. You all should check to see if anything you are taking is of this category of drugs.


THE CONSUMER: Cocktail of Popular Drugs May Cloud Brain

Studies find that the cumulative use of drugs that are among dozens of common painkillers, antihistamines and psychiatric medications has been linked to cognitive impairment.

http://nyti.ms/wySepL

im glad im not alone, i started suffering from migraines about 2 years ago. dr found out i had endometriosis so i just had a hysterectomy which i was hoping would stop the migraines/headaches. no such luck but i knew it was only a 50/50 shot. i swear i used to be intelligent, now like many others i forget what i was talking in mid-conversation, forgetting errands or chores, etc. i started making lists to remind myself of things that i need to do. its horrible. thank goodness my fiance is very supportive, we try to stay positive but ill be honest. i miss being able to form an intelligent sentence/thought and convey it without having think about it.