Concerned about my memory problems

[pksm]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, I am posting because i am concerned about my memory problems, Over the past few months i have become more and more concerned and i have no idea why my memory is getting worse.

I am a 27 year old male, The thing about my memory though is most of the time if i do forget something then i usually remember later on in say a few minutes or a few hours or something like that.

My brain just doesn't seem to click a lot of the time and i have trouble remembering things but as i said most of the time i remember what i had forgot later on, I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

I worry myself silly sometimes thinking it could be something serious but then again it might just be a case of me having a bad memory or there could be another cause.

I was just hoping for some advice and to see whether anyone else around my age has ever experienced problems like i am experiencing now.

I have considered going to my doctor about it but i'm worried as i am so young that they might not look into it too much or will probably put it down to stress or something like that.

I haven't never heard of anyone having dementia at my age so i know the chances of me developing dementia are probably quite slim but not totally impossible.

Does medication affect your memory? I have been taking medication for my panic attacks for the past few years and i'm not sure whether they can affect your memory, i wouldn't have thought so but i guess you never know.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Chrissyan]

pksm. Welcome to t/p. You already know that there dozens of reasons why your memory might be as sharp as it should be/used to be.

See your doctor, it's the only way to go. If you are not happy that the doctor is not taking you seriously then broach that with him/her.

 

[jenniferpa]

I do think the best thing to do is to go to your GP: I would think that panic attack medications could quite possibly cause the symptoms you describe. To be honest, the sort of memory problems you describe are not typical of dementia: its not about forgetting what you did with your keys, it's forgetting what keys are.

P.S. I don't "think" the OP is a nurse, Crissyan

 

[pksm]

Thank you for your replies

I forgot to mention that my nan is currently suffering from problems and could be suffering from dementia but more tests are needed, she is 73 years old, apart from that there is no other family history of dementia.

 

[Helen33]

Hello pksm

Welcome to Talking Point. You seem so young to be having such worries and worrying could be exascerbating the problems you are experiencing. I, too, feel that you would be best helped by talking to your GP and explaining your fears about not being taken seriously. However, if you feel you cannot approach your GP at the moment then you could start a journal and make notes of each "incident". This could be helpful to you and a health professional at some point if necessary.

Love and best wishes

 

[patradnor]

Hi pksm
I think what Helen said about keeping a journal is a good idea. Best wishes Pat x

 

[KenC]

Hi pksm

When my problems started, I thought it was just imagination or I was working too hard.

But I carried a dictaphone and a note book so that I could keep tracks on what I was supposed to be doing and what I had done.

At the end of the day this was all entered into a diary which I kept at home away from other people. The only other person that knew about this was my wife, but she knew about the problems that I was having so it did not matter.

This was the best thing I ever did, because it was a daily record of everything I did, and although I could not remember what I had done from one day to the next, it was written down so it was very easy to check up on. It is also worth writing down any other problems you had during the day, including medical things as they could also be related.

Once you have a diary like this you should go and see your GP, and show them it as evidence.

It must be remembered that some medication does cause problems so this would be well worth checking with your GP.

It may well be something unrelated to this web site, so don't worry too much until you see a GP.


Good Luck

Ken

 

[pksm]

Thank you for your reply Ken.

I'll just let you know some of the things i have done today for example.

I was asked if i wanted a cup of tea and i said yes then i didn't think anything else of it until i was asked for my cup so that the cup of tea could be made 10-15 minutes later then i thought oh yeah i forgot that you were making a drink and felt very stupid.

Also i went on my pc sort of planning on doing something earlier and i forgot about it then remembered then forgot again then again i remembered about it later on then forgot about it again until i came off the pc and i thought i never done what i was supposed to have done earlier.

Those are just two examples of memory lapses that i have had today but i don't know if my memory loss is just normal memory loss or something more serious.

 

[KenC]

Hi pksm

I think the memory is one of those things that we all take for granted, and when it goes wrong it causes all sorts of problems which we don't like.

I have gone to the computer on many occassions and forgotten what I was going to look for or do.

These days I have a routine which I have to stick to from getting up in the morning to going back to bed, and if I don't stick to it I forget all sorts of things like my medication etc.

Try putting post'its on the computer, so that you can remember what you are going to look for. I do this and it helps.

Best Wishes

Ken

 

[Gabriella]

Hi pksm,
The medication you are taking may possibly contribute to what you are experiencing - do you mind if I ask what it is?
It may more possibly be a result of your stress levels, panic or anxiety - is the meds helping with this?
When we are very stressed our ability to focus and concentrate is affected, memory and recall too.
Wishing you all the best,
Gabriella x

 

[EllieS]

Hello pksm

I agree, you are far too young to be worrying about such a thing as dementia but I can understand why you are!
I think it's highly likely that the medication you are on for panic attacks could be contributing to your memory problems.
Has your GP been monitoring you regularly since comencing this medication - hope so! If not, I think he/she should be doing so. Maybe counselling would be more helpful for the panic attacks - there must be a reason lurking around your mind for these and it would surely be better to pursue this route. Don't stop the medication without advice though. Ask your GP, or maybe a.n. other one in your GP Practice.
Have confidence in yourself and try to see the wonderful wide world that's out there for you - dig in and try to get things sorted out before too long.
Very best wishes.

Ellie

 

[Chrissyan]

pksm: Please post back to say that you have made an appointment with your GP. We will be holding your hand through cyber space.

 

[KenC]

Hi pksm

Going back to my earlier post, I do think that your priority should be to go and speak to your GP before you make your self worse with worry. There may well be another reason for all this, as other things can cause memory problems, sometimes things we have never considered.

Please let us know how you go on when you see the GP.

Best Wishes

Ken

 

[pksm]

I haven't been to the doctors yet but i will be doing so very soon.

I have done two really really stupid things today that have worried me and it made me feel like i was going mad.

I gave my partner some money to put on my bank card, they took the money and card with them, then around 50 minutes later i needed the card for something and i thought i had lost it, then around 5 minutes later i remembered that i gave it to my partner and that they had it.

Also about half an hour after that she gave me my card and receipt and i put it on the table and 5 mins later i asked her for my card and she said i gave it to you just now and i thought oh yeah you did i forgot straight away.

Those two things really concerned me i don't know if doing things like that are normal or whether they could be possible dementia signs or not.

 

[Chrissyan]

That sounds to me like the behaviour of someone who is stressed, or just plain distracted. You are continuing to post on here, so are obviously very concerned but we can't help, only your GP can really advise.


Get yourself to the doctor!

 

[jenniferpa]

Ditto to what Chrissyan said:

We can't help you - go to your doctor.

 

[Tarn]

I totally agree with Chrissyan, you do sound stressed and if your doctor is unsympathetic get another one. Could be meds but most people have blips in their memory anyway and the more you worry about it the worse it will get. It isn't so much total loss of memory as being distracted, lack of concentration. Someone in the family who may have memory problems increases the fear for all of us, it is natural

I hope you face it, make an appointment with your GP, perhaps get some counselling. Deal with it rather than let the fear ruin what should be the best years of your life.

 

[margaritaadios]

no more fear

Hello I suffered panic attacks and anxiety I have a very bad memory. I remember one thing that my doctor told me 'I will prescribe you this tablets but it will be a momentary solution at the end of the day is you who has to learn on how to deal and live with your problem tell your fear this is my brain you are not controlling it'.
Since then i look on different methods on how to deal with my panic attacks like meditation, herbal remedies and exercise.

Maybe the fear of losing your memory is another kind of panic attack. Take your time to think when this worry began and why is more pronounce now. practice relaxation techniques and see for yourself how helpful they are. take care

 

[pksm]

*************************UPDATE***********************************

I did go to the doctors some time ago and i should have posted on here after i went so i apologise for taking so long to reply.

The GP did not say much to be honest unfortunately, they just said that it is probably nothing to worry about, that was about it really.

My memory is still bad, I am very aware of the memory problems.

For example the past few days i keep thinking it is a different day to what day it actually is, maybe it's because of it being easter weekend? i don't know.

Yesterday i said something to someone and 5 mins later i wasn't sure whether i had said it or not so i had to ask someone whether i did say it but i should have known myself if i had said it or not and things like that make me worry even more.

Also earlier on tonight someone passed me a cup of tea to hold while they fetched a table to put it on and i cannot remember putting it on the table, things like that are not normal are they? my memory feels really bad to me and i am still worried about it.

I have never seen or heard of anyone having dementia/alzhemier's in their late 20's/early 30's but i am worried because my memory in my opinion is bad and i just cannot help thinking that it could be dementia.

 

[SilverStar]

Hello,
This is an interesting thread. I've always had a bit of a tendency to repeat myself (so my friends tell me!) but in the last couple of years things have become quite a lot worse.

I'm 54 and I find it's a particular issue remembering whether I have taken various medications. It seems to be my most immediate short term memory that is affected, ie I can open up a web page on my computer and then immediately have forgotten why I want to go there.

Interestingly, I did broach this with my doctor last year and explain that I was concerned I might have some early onset symptoms and she grabbed some papers from the filing cabinet and gave me a mini test which included reciting the months of the year backwards and repeating a sentence back to her.

Not surprisingly, I did rather well, and she said I didn't have a problem but I do wonder whether this test, which was mostly of my long term memory, was reliable or whether I should ask for a referral to a specialist.

She ended by telling me that it was my age (54) which I don't particularly believe but on the other hand I don't want to over-react either!
Liz