Http://www.Epilepsy.Org.Uk/info/memory.Htm l here is some info. It is common with seizures as well as the meds to have memory issues. I do see this with my son just from increase in seizures. It is frustrating.

I also have frequent migraines and many memory issues on some days, word finding and my spelling gets worse on bad days, too.

I use lots of lists and writing down and it can help me.

Have you talked this over with your neuro? Might be time to look into neuropsych testing......

Yes, I have experienced this on several of the meds I have been on. Zonegran was probably the worse. I could hardly spell my own name.

Right now I am on pegenone, and the doc has pushed my dose up again and I am have a real hard time with my memory, spelling, math, comprehension, and also a hard time sleeping.

My son had more trouble when on high doses of zonegran. Could not add 2 plus 2 with me holding fingers up!! He did fine when we lowered it....

Epilepsy.Com is a great site!!

Www.Efa.Org is also good. Go to answerplace......

Me too!....My memory has gotten so bad, that while i'm talking sometimes I stop in the middle of a sentence and can't remember what i'm talking about....I used to be in spelling b's in high school and now I have trouble with the simplist words and I don't like it at all ...I never could figure out if it was from the seizures or meds...........S

When I was first diagnosed I was in hospital.I'd just given birth to my baby girl the suffered about 30 seizures in 24 hours.When I came round after,i didn't know who I was,where I was...Etc.When my daughter was brought to me I pushed her away,i was convinced she wasn't mine.I eventually came to a conclusion that I was 15,still at school.It took me a while but eventually I recognised my parents,baby etc.
When I got home I didn't recognise it or the area where I lived.Bit by bit my memory started to come back,but there is a big part of my life(about 2 years),prior to my daughters birth,that I have completley forgotton.
They think my memory went so much because of 2 things.The fact I had so many seizures in such a short space of time and the amount of eppillim I was taking.Since reducing that and introducing lamictal my memory has improved.
It is very frustrating but I felt there was little things that helped me.Like looking at photo albums,watching old movies,and getting family and friends to run over things with me that I have forgotten.

Good luck in the future,shell.Xx

How is your memory now??...I too have problems remembering the past sometimes, but I also have problems remembering things now, like recognizing people and there names...I think alot has to do with medication and the side effects........How do you like lamital? Ss

Please excuse me this is my first posting ever on internet forum, but I have had epilepsy for 18 years, since age 12 and have been on epilim for about 16 years, to be honest i'm looking now for opinions outside my doctors predictable answers. Im so dissilusioned about the whole taking long term medication. I, like many others have been consistent, then been seizure free for long periods so 'sneakily' & probably :? Arrogantly decide to ween myself off as I am suspicious of the side effects - esp memory loss. Even though ive had a basic memory test that was all right, I just don't remember my memory always being so bad. Ironic I know, but i'm sure other epileptics on meds feel the same????

I am 22 and was put on keppra for a seizure I had in febuary. You are not alone in your memory loss. I too have suffered some short term memory loss. I was taking off of it due to changes in my temper, and my memory. I am not positive it was what caused the loss of memory, but it has not gotten to much worse for me since I have been off of it. I recommend you see about having your prescription changed if it gets to much worse. However, I still do have bad short term memory. Which may be due to the zonegran I am currently taking.
I was put on vitiam b 12 to help with it. You might want to check with a doctor to see if it is right for you.

Hi,

i was diagnosed myself just 7 months ago, I had a seizure august of 2004, no known cause other than maybe stress and lack of sleep (we had our third son in nov of 2003 and he is borderline asthmatic and was born early and had rsv and stuff, so I wasn't getting much sleep), so I went to a neurologist and he had me do an eeg, an mri, and the ct scan at the hospital that they did didn't show anything. Nothing else gave any indication why either, so he let it go unless I had another. I had my second in mar of 2005, it was a complex partial, so I didn't remember either of them, but they happened in the middle of the night, and my husband was home both times, though he only got home during the first one.

After that second seizure, I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on keppra, started out low, then increased to 1500 mg a day, 500 mg in the morning, and 1000 mg at night. I had pretty intense side effects for the first three weeks or so, I was *really* moody, pretty depressed, and not driving for 6 months never helps that, as i'm sure many of you know. And plus, I have the 3 kids, and I live in a rural area, 15 miles from town, so for those first few weeks, I stayed with my mom, while my husband was working out of town during the week.

I've pretty much adjusted to the keppra, though the cost for it is outrageous, even with the insurance we have through my husband's work, we pay $200 a month, after that, for 90 pills. We're thinking of getting pregnant again so i'm going in to talk to my neurologist this wednesday. Fortunately I have a good one that treats me well and explains things to me. Hopefully things will work out. I know that keppra still makes me slightly more irritable and tired than I used to get, but it isn't nearly as bad as when I started on it.

Is anyone else frustrated at having something like this? I know I have been, I feel for those of you who have had it your entire life. I've been quite healthy most of mine, so this came as a pretty huge shock, and not knowing the cause doesn't help that.

Thanks for listening.

Heya,

i know how you feel, while I was on keppra I became incredibly moody to the point where for really no reason I broke up with my boyfriend. I have since been taken off of it and have regained control of my moods for the most point and am back with my boyfriend, who has been incredibly understanding through all this.

Hi pianist, I would re-think having another child....The meds can effect your baby while pregnant and trigger a grand mal during labor....I had petit seizures prior to having my daughter, not really knowing what they were, but during labor the stress turned into high blood pressure and I had a grand mal and have been on meds ever since...My doc has advised me not to get pregnant again, since I almost died the first time and the danger to the baby...I'm listening to him, it does make sense.....Regarding why you get them, they say from either a head injury or a high fever as a child and once you get them then other things will trigger one, such as stress, not enough sleep an not eating.........Good luck, s.

Hi to all,

i feel the same way about the medication - I am on epilim 500mg currently (have taken that, tegretol, keppra and a couple of others in the last five years, and my memory has worsened to the point where I have to think hard about last week. It was not this bad prior to five years ago. I unfortunately listened to someone else's advice, telling me that I should be "medicated" - the worst mistake I have made. Prior, no one knew I had epilepsy unless I told them (simple seizures, only I was aware of). Since beginning medication five years ago, the complex partial and the generalized have returned with a vengeance - before this, my last grand mal was when I was four.
Strange, isn't it? I've concluded the medication is overrated, and has just made my problem (and my memory) worse.

Regards, jo

I'm marla and 35 years old. My first seziure was when I was 16 and my last was nov. 15, 05 also my worst one yet. I first took dilantin for approx. 16 yrs., the drs starting changing my meds due to such harsh side effects that I began having seziures again. I went from 400 mg a day of dilantin to now 3750 mg total, a day of neurontin and keppra. No dr nor test have been able to tell me why I have the seziures. I went to an herbalist and he told me a few interesting things but my iridologist really has helped me. I found out my body has too much calcium in it. And alot of reserch has helped me to find out more about it. I would recommend "seeing" an iridologist for any one. I enjoy learning from everyone in on their stories. I hope I may help anyone and they me. Good luck to everyone. Thanks for reading. Marla88

I'm marla and 35 years old. My first seziure was when I was 16 and my last was nov. 15, 05 also my worst one yet. I first took dilantin for approx. 16 yrs., the drs starting changing my meds due to such harsh side effects that I began having seziures again. I went from 400 mg a day of dilantin to now 3750 mg total, a day of neurontin and keppra. No dr nor test have been able to tell me why I have the seziures. I went to an herbalist and he told me a few interesting things but my iridologist really has helped me. I found out my body has too much calcium in it. And alot of reserch has helped me to find out more about it. I would recommend "seeing" an iridologist for any one. I enjoy learning from everyone in on their stories. I hope I may help anyone and they me. Good luck to everyone. Thanks for reading. Marla88

Hey, this is my first time posting on here, I was just googling epilepsy and memory loss and this was one of the first search results. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy when I was about 4, and over the course of the next 8 years i was put on a couple different medications. All I can remember is that one of them was a yellow triangle-shaped tablet and I had to chew it and it tasted horrible, The other one that I remember was Dilantin. Up until i was about 12-13 i took about 3 gel caps a day of Dilantin before i decided on my own to stop taking medicine alltogether. I know it wasnt the safest move but i've heard about people growing out of the disorder. With it now being about 10 years later I find myself being a little bit slower than most people. I tend to pause mid-sentence when i'm talking just to I can remember what i was going to say. My word retrieval skills are getting worse and I find that I have trouble remembering a lot of my childhood (dont know if this is related to some PTS that i'm not aware of). Anywho I just find myself having a hard time to cope sometimes and was wondering if anyone has been diagnosed with Epilepsy find themselves with any of these problems.

has anyone found out from their doctor if the memory loss is from the med's or the seizures ???

i'm glad that I found this site. I have been having some memory loss that I have been concerned about...it seems to be more short term. My doctor said that it was due to prolonged seizure activity. I am 39 years old, and I have been having seizures since 12 years old. After reading some of these entries; however, I want to ask him about the effect of the Zonegran.

Before i had my grand mal, i experienced memory loss (without medicine). The first year with Dilatin was bad (memory problem).

I am OK with Kappra and Depakote

I believe that I had memory problem since I was a kid (I might have had seizures when I was a kid). I tried not to remember things. I am not able to remember my closely worked collegue's name.

I am now 45 years old with a good job. I had a high education (straight A student). do not panic if you can not remember