# Epilepsy



## Jeffk (Nov 15, 2014)

My Epilepsy seems to be under control somewhat, but my short term memory is pretty much gone. When I do have a seizure, I can't remember anything from the point the seizure starts, and after I recover from the postictal stage. I had a seizure in the car when my wife and I went to the store the other day. After I recover from the posictal phase, I have trouble remembering things.

I don't remember practically anything after I recovered. I don't remember driving to the store, getting out of the car, or very little of the shopping we did. What I do remember is seeing a woman I've known for years and talking to her. After we finished our conversation and walked away, I asked my wife who she was. 

My memory loss has gotten worse, even when I haven't had a seizure. My neurologist said my memory may or may not come back after time. Plus, the medication I am on causes memory loss as well. I am very concerned about this. Sometimes I can't remember what I've done in the house.

The other night I told my wife that I needed to do one of the chores around the house, she told me that I had already done it. I am very afraid that I am will get dementia, or heaven forbid, Alzheimer's. Anyone have any advice ?


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## happy as a clam (Jan 5, 2014)

OP... First of all, I'm so very sorry for your health issues. My ex-FIL has epilepsy due to viral encephalitis many years ago. He had a lot of trouble controlling his seizures, especially in the beginning (this all began when he was 55 and was bitten by an infected mosquito in the Florida Everglades.)

He tried many medications, his seizures were uncontrollable for years, and he was in and out of the hospital repeatedly. His seizures were among the worst that many of the specialists had ever seen.

I say all this to let you know, despite his very rough ride, he is well into his 80s now with ZERO signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. In fact, he is still sharp as a tack. He still has some mild seizure activity, confusion and memory loss when they occur, but otherwise his mental faculties are good.

I just want to offer some hope that epilepsy does not necessarily = decline in brain function as you age. Although necessary, I do believe the meds themselves are much of the source of the memory problems.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## poppyseed (Dec 22, 2013)

Jeffk said:


> *My Epilepsy seems to be under control somewhat*, but my short term memory is pretty much gone. When I do have a seizure, I can't remember anything from the point the seizure starts, and after I recover from the postictal stage. I had a seizure in the car when my wife and I went to the store the other day. After I recover from the posictal phase, I have trouble remembering things.


Essentially, you need to stop driving as your seizures aren't well controlled. It's an offense to drive if you have active seizures which could put yourself or /and other road users at serious risk.


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## fitchick1961 (May 5, 2015)

I was going to say the same thing, about driving. But he didn't actually say he was driving, his wife was with him. I would think if he's been having seizures he knows he shouldn't be driving.


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## Tobin (Jun 24, 2015)

Write everything down.

The good thing about bad memory is you get to watch your favorite movies over and over again.


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## Thor (Oct 31, 2011)

My sister has epilepsy. She has been on a number of meds in a variety of combinations. If you have problems on one med, talk to your doc about adding in another one, or possibly switching to a different med altogether. It seems treating epilepsy is as much art and experiment as it is medical science.


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## hankthetank81 (Apr 9, 2016)

My wife has had grand Mal seizures on 3 occasions. Once when she was a teenager and twice in the past couple years, the most recent she suffered 3 back to back. It is very scary seeing your spouse convulsing and unresponsive for 10-15 minutes following the episode. She has them in her sleep, which we have been told is different than those who have them during the day. They had to try different medication until we found one with least side effects yet remains effective. Be safe and talk to your doctor about side effects. Also talk to those around you to see if you are different. First medicine made my wife unbearable to deal with so the doc tried a different med. She's much better now.


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## Mclane (Apr 28, 2016)

Make sure you check the option in your profile to subscribe to threads you post on.


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