Very scary issue - is it due to Asperger's?

Page 1 of 2 [ 25 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 8:24 pm

For the past 2 months I have had severe short term memory loss. No head injuries or drugs that mess with your memory. I will be thinking about doing something or actually physically doing something and just immediately forget what it was. For example, I will be making my daughter a bottle and put 6 ounces of water and in the next second only put 4 ounces worth of formula in the bottle. I will be making dinner, have it laying out, and then go to the kitchen and overlook it, then start cooking something out. It seems that the worst has to do with words or phrases. I will be saying something and midsentence stop because I can't remember what I was saying. Anyone know what this is about?



Amajanshi
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Apr 2009
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 626

20 May 2011, 8:40 pm

melodylynette wrote:
For the past 2 months I have had severe short term memory loss. No head injuries or drugs that mess with your memory. I will be thinking about doing something or actually physically doing something and just immediately forget what it was. For example, I will be making my daughter a bottle and put 6 ounces of water and in the next second only put 4 ounces worth of formula in the bottle. I will be making dinner, have it laying out, and then go to the kitchen and overlook it, then start cooking something out. It seems that the worst has to do with words or phrases. I will be saying something and midsentence stop because I can't remember what I was saying. Anyone know what this is about?


I was initially thinking of ADHD, but you said that this was only for the past 2 months. It is clear however that your executive dysfunction has become more severe.

Are you using any medications?

Do you zone out a lot? Are there times where you felt like you were just staring at something when you were supposed to be doing something? Sometimes people with certain types of epilepsy space out and go silent for several seconds before proceeding with what they were doing.



Bloodheart
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,194
Location: Newcastle, England.

20 May 2011, 8:41 pm

Sounds familiar 8)

I've heard of plenty other people on the spectrum getting like this - it's not always AS that's the cause of course, things like stress or tiredness along with a whole host of more serious problems like brain injury or problems with medication can be causes, although if you are already AS/ASD I do believe stress and ill health can make problems worse.

My own memory issues are more about long-term memory loss - in my cases it's either the AS, trauma or an effect of stroke - I have huge chunks of my life missing. I do also have these short-term memory losses though, normally for me lack of sleep and stress contribute heavily, I get forgetful, ditzy, absent minded (I'll start sentences, get half way through then just forget to finish them), I've had to stop cooking anything at night because I get so absent minded I forget....I still have bits of egg stuck on the sealing from leaving an egg boiling and having it explode...but in all seriousness it gets dangerous. Here you may come to recognise when I'm stressed or tired as my posts become less coherent.


_________________
Bloodheart

Good-looking girls break hearts, and goodhearted girls mend them.


melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 8:47 pm

I zone out constantly and my mother has epilepsy. I am constantly "shaking my head" to "wake" myself up.



Amajanshi
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Apr 2009
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 626

20 May 2011, 8:53 pm

melodylynette wrote:
I zone out constantly and my mother has epilepsy. I am constantly "shaking my head" to "wake" myself up.


I think you should seek a doctor to assess you for Epilepsy. Statistically, people with ASDs are more likely to have Epilepsy.

Are you using any stimulant drugs besides Caffeine?



melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 9:43 pm

I have some fatigue problems and use Adderall to give myself a boost. Is that a bad idea with my issues?



Sweetleaf
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 34,907
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

20 May 2011, 9:51 pm

Well I never thought of this as scary, I have experianced it but its so common I am used to it....are you under any more stress then usual? with me the short term memory issues are worse when I am under more stress.



Amajanshi
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Apr 2009
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 626

20 May 2011, 9:54 pm

melodylynette wrote:
I have some fatigue problems and use Adderall to give myself a boost. Is that a bad idea with my issues?


Unless you have ADHD or Narcolepsy, then you have to be quite careful with your Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) use.

If you browse through drug forums, there are posts where people have discussed a cognitive decline in using such drugs recreationally in the long term, where they start getting memory loss or difficulty forming coherent sentences. I think this is due to Dopamine receptor downregulation, which can be reversed by stopping the use for several weeks/months.

You're only using it for fatigue though, but it may be the start of a negative cycle. Have you been diagnosed with ADHD?

Is your fatigue the type called "Narcolepsy"?



melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 9:55 pm

What makes it scary is that it came on suddenly and to the extreme. It's one thing to put your keys down, walk away, and not be able to find them a few hours later. For me, I can put my keys down next to me and 10 minutes later not be able to find them right next to me. I will think of a question I want to put on here and by the time I click on "New Post" and get it to load up, I have forgotten my question. To me that is quite scary.



draelynn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Jan 2011
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,304
Location: SE Pennsylvania

20 May 2011, 9:57 pm

The same happens to me and I notice it is more pronounced when I'm under a high amount of stress. If you have a baby, I'd qualify that as high stress. I would lose my train of thought midsentence, forget names of people I'd known for years, put water on to boil and then pack up the kidling and leave for the store. Job stress had done the same. I aslo have fibromyalgia and I get the same symptoms when it flairs up but not as badly as the stress induced type.



Amajanshi
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Apr 2009
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 626

20 May 2011, 9:57 pm

melodylynette wrote:
What makes it scary is that it came on suddenly and to the extreme. It's one thing to put your keys down, walk away, and not be able to find them a few hours later. For me, I can put my keys down next to me and 10 minutes later not be able to find them right next to me. I will think of a question I want to put on here and by the time I click on "New Post" and get it to load up, I have forgotten my question. To me that is quite scary.


Please see a doctor for an assessment for Epilepsy and/or ADHD, your executive dysfunction is serious!! !

How long have you been using Adderall for? What is your daily dose?



melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 9:59 pm

My motor skills have declined excessively in the past few months too. If I use my hands for something, after 5 minutes they cramp up and I have to physically straighten them out. More tripping over stuff. Hands shaking when I button my pants and zip my zipper. Tying my kids shoes is aggravating lately. Buttoning buttons are a pain in the ass too.



melodylynette
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2011
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 89
Location: Dayton, OH

20 May 2011, 10:11 pm

One other symptom I "of course forgot about" is that occasionally I get numbing in one or both of my arms.

I used it for 2 and a half months, usually between 50 and 60 mg. Quit for a week and things did get a little better, but not enough for me to put 2 and 2 together. I have been using it again since Tuesday, at 40 mg. a day. About 2 years ago, I took 30 mg. everyday for about 6 months and never had any of these symptoms. Every other ADHD medication makes me aggravated and I yell constantly. Adderall calms me down emotionally enough to handle my kids seeking issues better, makes me happy, puts me in a great mood, and gives me energy to get my house clean. I didn't think it was hurting me. I hope it's not killing me. :(



Zokk
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 10 Jul 2010
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 961
Location: Santa Rosa, CA

20 May 2011, 10:19 pm

The fine motor skill issues and short-term memory loss definitely don't sound like they're related to AS, and the numbness is really a bad sign. Absolutely, go get tested for epilepsy and any other neurological disorders the physician might suggest. Also ask about the medications you're taking and the role they might be playing aggravating your condition. This is most definitely not AS-related. We have some executive dysfunction and mild fine motor skill issues, but never to the extent you're talking about. See a physician ASAP, I'd say.


_________________
It takes a village to raise an idiot, but it only takes one idiot to raze a village.


Last edited by Zokk on 20 May 2011, 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

littlelily613
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Feb 2011
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,608
Location: Canada

20 May 2011, 10:19 pm

Amajanshi wrote:
melodylynette wrote:
I zone out constantly and my mother has epilepsy. I am constantly "shaking my head" to "wake" myself up.


I think you should seek a doctor to assess you for Epilepsy. Statistically, people with ASDs are more likely to have Epilepsy.

Are you using any stimulant drugs besides Caffeine?


My grandmother has epilepsy where she would get severe grand mal seizures. My mom and I both had petit mal seizures where you lose moments without realizing it, but no shaking. From personal experience, when I had petit mal seizures I wasn't aware enough to "shake my head" and "wake myself up" because I didn't know I was having a seizure while I was in the process of having it. I mean, during it, I didn't realize I was zoned out. It doesn't sound like epilepsy to me, but doesn't mean it is not. Either way, I would check in with your doctor because it could be something else anyway that needs to be addressed.



littlelily613
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Feb 2011
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,608
Location: Canada

20 May 2011, 10:21 pm

Also, if it is related to Asperger's, I think it should be your doctor that tells you it rather than going by what you read online. The way I see it is: if you have never had it before and it is cause for concern, whether it turns out to be just Aspergers or not, it should be looked into.