View Full Version : Citalopram and short memory loss.
Granny Primark
16-12-08, 21:57
Firstly let me say even tho im a granny/nanny im not ancient. lol (others might disagree tho)
Ive always prided myself in the fact that ive always been reasonably intelligent and had a good memory.
For the last 3 weeks ive been taking citalopram ive found they have really started to help with my anxiety.
However ..... I have found that my very short time memory isnt the same as it was before taking them.
This really scares me as my dad started with alzeimers at my age.
I cant decide now whether or not to keep taking them.
Is this alzeimers, anxiety or the tablets?
I get short term memory. I am forever going upstairs and either bringing something down or doing something upstairs. I then come downstairs and realise that I still did not do what I wanted.
I've got a new mobile, as my staff crunched the other one up. It wasn't in my pocket yesterday and I panicked rushing about looking around for the dog and my mobile. I then went in to the kitchen and realised that I put it on charge. phew.
I know what you mean, granny primark as I worry about dementia. My daughter and I joke that I've had a alzeimer's moment but underneath I concerns me very much and I do tend to ponder on losing my mind a lot.
I have already decided that if I did get alziemers I would take action myself before I got too bad. . It is a horrendous illness.
Sheena
I have had real issues with my memory since taking Citalopram. I had a brilliant memory. I have to have a notebook with me to write down stuff. I get upset about silly things like something my 3 yr old said that made me giggle then I can 't recall it to tell his daddy.
At work I was a nightmare.
I no longer take the tablets and I am a bit better but I do not reagret taking the tablets. I think it's just a case of accepting it is the tablets and finding a work-around to cope with it.
Though I lost my purse last week and it surfaced some time later under the sink????
:huh: Its your age :shades:
Seriously NooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO it isn't its the tablets! I've been on citalopram for 3 and half years now at 40mg and just reduced to 20mg because I want my mind back! Its the tablets for sure and I needed them and that dose while I had them but time has come to take stock and try to cope without.
Granny I definately think you need to weigh up the pros and cons, so your memory isn't as good but if you are feeling a bit more settled and able to cope then this side effect is worth it, however if this is causing you a major problem then it isn't worth it, i really don't think its anything other than the meds though.
Love you loads
Jen xxx:yahoo:
Hi Lynn
Ive just been given citalopram 10mg today to see if it will help my anxiety which at the minute is throught he roof, through mainly work issues.
But im in peri-menopause just now and ive found since starting that my short term memory is sometimes shocking..like sheena i can go from one room to the other to do something then when i get there i stand and think 'what the heck did i come in here for' :doh: lol. I just thought maybe it might be that causing you problems as i know your menopausal too. These are some of the symptom...the joy of being a woman :)
Sore joints/muscles - muscle weakness and fatigue
Hot/cold flashes - nightsweats
Memory loss/forgetfullness
Rapid heartbeat
Irratability/moodswings/tearfullness/depression
Insomnia
Anxiety/feelings of dread and doom
Difficulty concentrating/dissorientation
Bloating
Headaches
increase in allergies
Hair thinning
Electric shock sensations under the skin
Gum problems/burning tongue
Weightgain
etc..
i used to have a great memory - and im so glad others find the citalopram affects it - as it really does!!!
Its the drugs ! you are not going senile honest.
I was talking to my Doc about it the other day and and apparently it is common with those on Citalopram/cipramil as well as in general for anyone who suffers with depression or anxiety issues. The working memory ( short term memory ) can get easily affected in times of stress and with some meds and such becomes ' an unworking memory lol.. mine has been awful of late.. I have been so dippy!.. putting tea bags in the fridge.. milk in the freezer, not remembering what dvd my friend wanted to watch after she had already told me 2 minutes before..pfft.. I just try and laugh about it now when I do something silly..
Granny Primark
17-12-08, 14:11
Thanks for your replies.
They have given me reassurance over one of my worst fears in life. Alzeimers.
The tabs have really helped me. Even my friends and family say I seem to be more calmer.
Ok so if I have to write thinks down in order to remember things I think its a small price to pay for not being in that bottomless pit where I was a few weeks ago.
My hubby says its just me being my normal dippy self and that I always get like this with Christmas looming.
I have had terrible memory problems since beginning the Citalopram 7 weeks ago (feels like a lifetime!). It has reduced me to tears at times, things like putting the remote control down to answer the phone and then i can't find once the call has ended, came downstairs with a pile of washing the other day, put the washing down to let the dogs out of the back door - couldn't find the washing then - a pile of washing lost!!!
I feel like i am losing my mind on these tablets but it's so much better than the anxiety and panic all day everyday, that's much more debilitating! Luckily, my husband has been wonderful with me, i'm generally as you said "dippy" anyway so my husband has encouraged me to just laugh at myself and "revel" in the dippiness for a while, be a bit blonde! It's great when he's around to help but i can't say it's the same when he's not around...but then i think that i'm ot going to be on this medication forever and eventually the smog will clear.
:bighug1:
Hiya
This has really hit home with me, I get memory blanks, lack of concentration etc and disturbing dreams, I panic ove r dementia as I lost my beloved grandma a couple of years ago, she had developed dementia and its an awful thing to watch.
I worry that it might be heriditary, however over the last week or so I have noticed how forgetful other people appear, my dad calls us four girls by the wrong he names all the time, he calls my daughter by my name, he is fit and well and has done this for years - he said its cause we are all the same!
the other day in a supermarket a lady asked me to hold her place in the queue as she had forgetten to get a loaf of bread, she said that it was orginally what she had come out for she also joked that she hadn't been the same since the change as she was quite an elderly lady I enquired how old she was, she was 87
There appeared to be nothing wrong with her she was very smart and had make up on in fact she looked better than I did . I am 41. I also noticed on the bus going home that a lot of ladies were chatting and a few mentioned memory loss having minds like a sieve etc.
The moral is this seems pretty common either that or there is a huge dementia
epidemic in the part of Liverpool where I live which is very very unlikely!
Heather
Hi Lynn
Ive just been given citalopram 10mg today to see if it will help my anxiety which at the minute is throught he roof, through mainly work issues.
But im in peri-menopause just now and ive found since starting that my short term memory is sometimes shocking..like sheena i can go from one room to the other to do something then when i get there i stand and think 'what the heck did i come in here for' :doh: lol. I just thought maybe it might be that causing you problems as i know your menopausal too. These are some of the symptom...the joy of being a woman :)
Sore joints/muscles - muscle weakness and fatigue
Hot/cold flashes - nightsweats
Memory loss/forgetfullness
Rapid heartbeat
Irratability/moodswings/tearfullness/depression
Insomnia
Anxiety/feelings of dread and doom
Difficulty concentrating/dissorientation
Bloating
Headaches
increase in allergies
Hair thinning
Electric shock sensations under the skin
Gum problems/burning tongue
Weightgain
etc..
Yes I can identify with a lot of those symptoms and that was before I started the citalopram.:unsure: I went on the menopause at 34 first time and I noticed my hair thinning and memory going straight away. The doctor gave me some HRT but I didn't feel right on them so I stopped taking them and everything went back to normal for a while and I even had another baby.:whistles:
Here are some nemory tricks i use to improve memory1. ACRONYMS. You form acronyms by using each first letter from a group of words to form a new word. 2. SENTENCES/ACROSTICS. Like acronyms, you use the first letter of each word you are trying to remember.3. RHYMES & SONGS. Rhythm, repetition, melody, and rhyme can all aid memory. 4. METHOD OF LOCI. This technique was used by ancient orators to remember speeches, and it combines the use of organization, visual memory, and association. Before using the technique, you must identify a common path that you walk. 5. CHUNKING. This is a technique generally used when remembering numbers, although the idea can be used for remembering other things as well. 6. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (or closer to it anyway): Okay, it may not be a mnemonic, but repeating is still a great memory aid. taken from here (http://enhancebrain.blogspot.com/2010/01/mnemonic-techniques-and-specific-memory.html)
started to read this thread - but forgot what it was called .........
Matt, What are you like???
Erm mean Mart, (proper mistake)
MART/JT69 - Just nearly wet myself.
that reminded me of a joke that my partner told me at xmas time - he came in from town and told me there was an alzheimers society protest/march on in the city centre - he said they were shouting "what do we want - we don't know - when do we want it - want what?"
MART/JT69 - Just nearly wet myself.
that reminded me of a joke that my partner told me at xmas time - he came in from town and told me there was an alzheimers society protest/march on in the city centre - he said they were shouting "what do we want - we don't know - when do we want it - want what?"
Nearly choked on my decaff at that one.....
you cruel thing !
:)
Erm mean Mart, (proper mistake)
come on keep up with the rest of us.....
See - now you're heating is working you've lost concentration again
You need a bit of cold to keep your brain focussed.
Actually the cost of gas has really hacked me off -
don't get me started on that!
AJS... LOL!!!!! At least we can all laugh, not cruel, just nice to have a giggle.
Mart...Lost plot this afternoon...must be down to having to listen to mum in law for the past 2 hours!! Yikes!! Hubby has escaped to football and left me to it. Got thumping head now!!!
Jo.
yvonne_uk_98
27-02-10, 22:39
MART/JT69 - Just nearly wet myself.
that reminded me of a joke that my partner told me at xmas time - he came in from town and told me there was an alzheimers society protest/march on in the city centre - he said they were shouting "what do we want - we don't know - when do we want it - want what?"
Hi ajs,
great joke, lol cheered me up, thank you.
Yvonne
yvonne_uk_98
27-02-10, 23:15
started to read this thread - but forgot what it was called .........
Hi Martin,
yes this thread has a wonderful name, your too funny. lol
Yvonne
frank_begbie
14-03-10, 21:05
Damn, forgot what I was going to say now:scared15:
A few weeks ago I thought I was getting Alzheimer's as my very short memory was virtually nil.
Just a few seconds after I had done something I couldn't remember if I had done it.
Since my mother is in the final stages of the disease I was very worried that I was in the first stages of it.
After doing some reading about Citalopram and its side effects I am now more at ease with the situation.
So what if I have a short term memory loss, its a lot better than feeling nervous all day and having panic attacks.
charlie1983
15-03-10, 09:39
Hello,
I am new so am sorry if I am gatecrashing this thread. I hope you can help me.
I have been on Citalopram on and off for years but lately it has either stopped working or I am having more side effects than usual. I would just like to know if anyone else has had these similar side effects.
I am having very very vivid nightmares, everything I have took the tablets for seems to come out in the night and so therefore when i wake up it is as if I am right back where I started.
I have also recently gone hyper alert and perceptive to everything around me. Thinking about everything I'm doing, what other people are doing and predicting everything so nothing comes as a surprise.
My anxiety levels have raised right up and the doc has suggested I go on Mirtazapine... however I hear that is more for sleeping... I don't have trouble sleeping... it is when I'm asleep it's like another life so I am exhausted when I wake up.
Any advice anyone could give me I would really appreciate, I feel like I am going mad.
Thanks x
Hi - I'm in my early 30's and have been on citalopram for over a year. Since then I've bad memory problems an the inabilty to 'think' at times. So it is definatley not an age thing. Its been very embarassing at times eg at work, sometimes i feel spaced or can't think fast. Even friends have started talking to me in condescending tone of voice because i'm not quite with it most of the time. I'm coming off it now. Was taking one every 4 days. I've just took one after 6 and it's made me feel ill (nauseous, dizzy,shaky). I think they helped for a while but now i'm well again they are doing me harm. The worst experience I had with the memory loss was when i had a pint. I never drink now, but once after a pint i was on the train and could'nt understand where i was. My friend explained that we had just changed line and i had absolutlely no recollection of it whatsoever! So I would say take them if you need them but there are problems. Best of luck.
You shouldnt take these every 4 days or 6 :ohmy:.It has a half life of 33 hours ..What you have been doing is withdrawing and then putting more in your system .No wonder you feel so bad .Its called the yoyo effect .Who told you to do this BTW ? sue
I have a bit of a theory on this. I hardly sleep on these pills, not at night anyway, the only time I feel sleepy is in the afternoon, when I am at work. So I sleep at weekends but most of the rest of the time I am dog tired.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070523113828.htm
Its fairly well documented that short term memory loss. I find myself not remembering words half way through a sentence. And I'm just not quite as logical or quick. Which in my business where I negotiate with sharks everyday isn't great. :)
Hi everyone in this forum...
Fellow Citalopram peeps x. I'm 4 months off 2 years on...
I would like to share on this topic 4 sure. I have stumbled onto this site following a search with these 2 factors 1. memory loss and 2. citalopram...
I am saddened and kind of relieved there is a link because like a few other posts i thought i's experiencing the early onset of Althz.
I studied last year and for some reason I could not retain info and missed basic things that were fundamental to my study success... I never thought...
But now i have just started a new job and i love learning and doing something new and while i am doing just great it is apparent from my employers responses that i am not retaining basic information. He is a patient and intelligent man and would not show his frustration without cause.
Last year when i studied i was confused when my associate (teaching) said i have already gone over that with you! and i said adamantly no you haven't then when i was going through my notes latter on there it all was what she said she had already covered! Oh BOY...
Pre citalopram I had the usual... where did i leave my keys, what did i do with my bank card and dam I have to go back to grab something when i'd left the house... But those days at least if you jogged me I would remember but no now i genuinely believe I haven’t heard the info before. Spelling sometime seriously i can't remember how to spell a word... Thank god for spell check!
Even after finding this I am still scared! Does anyone know does your memory come right post citaopram? For now I take lots of notes! I cried waiting for the train today recalling the movie the Notebook... Having said all this I do believe Citalopram literally saved my life. But I do hope my normal memory function comes back.
I laughed at the sign up for this site when it said don’t sign up again for this site if you have forgotten your sign in name lol… Guess what I did? Well of course I wrote down my login and password.
Thanks for the posts they helped me too :winks:
willigetwiser
15-02-12, 13:18
Just an add on to this thread. I too have experienced memory loss and am now on my forth month. Initially 10mg, then 20mg and then 30 mg at my suggestion - given the expected response as indicated by people on this site. All I can say is I wish I had had citalopram for at least the last 10 years. The improvement overall, more than compensates for memory problems. However, for the whole of January I was going to the gym and generally getting myself fit (the gym had been my only coping stratagey for years). The exercise not only helped physically but definitely made me overall sharper and more confident. Unfortunately I have not been able to go for the last two weeks and I can see/feel I have lost some of the sharpness. For me citalopram has been great but I need to do other things as well to give me that extra lift "to be more normal". Not just work!!! (Before taking citalopram getting out of bed was a success). As ever, people on this site have been a fantastic help and support because without that help I would not have persisted with the medication. Try something different to test yourself and also do not be too hard on yourself because you forget the odd thing. As I have been told, care for yourself as you would care for someone else.
My favorite joke, I can't say why - a horse walks into a bar and the barman says "why the long face?"
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