Does being bipolar cause memory loss

Does bipolar cause memory loss? Can Lamictal cause memory loss? How does depression and anxiety cause memory loss? Can bipolar disorder cause cognitive problems?

Bipolar and memory loss can be a real problem! And to make matters worse, sometimes the cognitive symptoms of bipolar such as memory loss , lack of focus, and fuzzy thinking are made worse by medication, adding insult to injury. For example, when depressed our cognitive functions are much slower and it is harder to retain information. Researchers also say memory loss can be a common side-effect of medication.

Studies report that some people with bipolar disorder have complained of memory impairment during high moods, low moods, and at times in between. As the mood becomes more extreme, memory problems can increase. Yes, people with bipolar disorder can have trouble with memory , but it’s not always from the same source. Here are a few ways memory can be affected if you or someone you care about has bipolar disorder. Memory problems from depression.

The mind can slow down substantially when we are depressed. I also see this in depression. The primary reason memory is affected in people with bipolar disorder is because the brain controls memory , and the brain structures in bipolar people are different and impacted by the disease. Studies do not indicate a link between bipolar disorder and loss of semantic memory. For me my meds make me have memory loss.

A fair amount of medications can cause some cognitive confusion but not memory loss that extreme. Do speak to your psychiatrist but you ask for a referral to a neurologist. Lithium has been shown to have protective and sometimes even restorative effects on the brain. How they can cause memory loss : Benzodiazepines dampen activity in key parts of the brain, including those involved in the transfer of events from short-term to long-term memory.

Indee benzodiazepines are used in anesthesia for this very reason. I can not find any evidence to support this though. I am beginning to wonder if memory loss is simply a thing that happens with bipolar disorder? Some findings show that people with bipolar disorder have a genetic predisposition to sleep-wake cycle problems that may trigger symptoms of depression and mania.

The problem for those with bipolar disorder, however, is that sleep loss may lead to a mood episode such as mania (elation) in some patients. I thought I was doomed to a lifetime of all the above. A specialist that is a psych. I have amazingly been human again.

I am using Epitec 100mg twice a day for bipolar disorder. Wonder if there is any other medication for bipolar that will not cause memory loss. I imagine there could be various causes for memory issues. Even bipolar illness itself maybe?

If you feel your memory issues are significant enough to negatively affect your life, I hope you will get some second opinions on the causes. Fortunately, there are a number of options which are less likely to cause this troubling side effect. But people with bipolar disorder can have them too. Medically reviewed by Timothy J. I suffer from extreme memory loss. I cannot seem to retain information nor can I remember some things that have transpired the previous day.

Patients with bipolar disorder type I experience periods of heightened energy, elevated moo or irritability for a period of at least week (or shorter if hospitalized during this time). Treatment is often somatic, consisting of neuroleptics, mood stabilizers, or electroconvulsive therapy. Emotional or psychological trauma can also affect your memory. Violence, sexual abuse and other emotionally traumatic events can lead to dissociative amnesia,.

Transient global amnesia is a sudden loss of memory. Symptoms usually last for hours and then memory returns. Carbon monoxide poisoning.