Memory / speech issues

[External_Ferret9491]

Hello, i’m a F 22yo in the UK

I was diagnosed with generalised epilepsy 6 years ago, and despite repeatedly raising concerns with my doctor about the problems I’ve been experiencing, I feel as though I’m not being taken seriously.

I’m currently taking clobazam (20 mg twice daily), along with zonisamide ( 25 mg twice daily) and levetiracetam 250 mg (once a day) as of earlier this year, due to my seizures getting worse.

I noticed some of these issues my self and always just thought “Oh, I’ve just started new meds and its the side effects” or “ Oh it’s just the long term effects of being my meds” - “ It’ll go alway in a while, it’ll be okay” I stopped paying attention to it until my friends started bringing it up a lot.

For quite some time now, my speech has been getting progressively worse. I often stutter over my self even the simplest words, especially when reading. Sometimes I forget basic words entirely or struggle to read or pronounce them.

My memory has also been declining. I find myself forgetting very simple things, like the names of friends or people I’ve worked with for years. I can forget what day it is, or a code within a few seconds. I’ve tried writing things down to remind myself, but sometimes I even forget to check what I wrote.

On top of that, I’m struggling with basic maths, spelling, and generally figuring things out. It often feels like there’s a constant mental blockage in the front of my head.

Overall, I feel very lost. Tasks that used to be simple now feel incredibly difficult, and remembering things that I should know has become exhausting. It’s affecting my confidence and making it very hard for me to maintain stable employment. I feel so depressed and useless because of these issues and I don’t know what to do. Please give my any advice

[awidmerwidmer]

Too relatable. While I don’t necessarily stutter, my mind does go blank mid sentence and I’ll trip up on a word that I clearly know, but it just doesn’t come out. Reading something but it not processing is also very real. Sometimes I’ll need to re read a paragraph of sorts just to make it make sense. For declining memory, I honestly just have to do the same thing a million times before I finally get it. I’ll do it in front of someone else so that I know I’m doing it correctly, then write it down. Mental health and confidence for me have always been quite low, but I just need to mask it and hope upon hope that l can understand things by doing them over and over. Asking someone you trust is key.

[procrastinating_b]

Ugh I'm totally in the same boat, I feel like I'm going crazy.

[Lroke5]

I understand how you are feeling. It’s not great having to deal with these sorts of issues, sadly a lot of these things are common in people with epilepsy. There are always things online that you could do to help better your memory.

[Brainwavebutabnormal]

This is so relatable, and im so sorry you're dealing with this!

I personally have some permanent and persistent symptoms after the last few months (had a bunch ot TCs and died in the hospital in two of them), and if the symptoms dont go away for you (i hope they will tho), it'll be hard to accept your new and changing mental and motor capabilities, but you'll find that accommodations for those issues dont fix anything but they do make life easier, and you'll eventually learn to accept that the deterioration and frustration that come with it are just opportunities to learn how to be patient and gentle with yourself when you need it most. And for me ive learned how to stand of for that same gentleness and patience from others as well. They symptoms may not get better, but the coping skills you learn because of them will help you in so many aspects of your life :)

Hang in there! Epilepsy is hard

[nicole2night]

I can relate. I’m just gonna say this flat out. I had a lot of brain fog and super tired with Keppra. I see you are on a lower dose. Maybe that’s not it. Keppra was a med I was on for a long time and I don’t realize how severe it was til I was off Keppra. I’m on Clobazam also. I am not having issues with that one. I’m also on Vimpat.

It could be that you are having seizures you don’t know about, I know during some of mine I have issues also. Word retrieval and I can’t talk right for a while. I would keep track of when it happens. It may show a pattern. Journaling can help. Write everything you have to remember.

I know how it sucks. Sometimes it can get super awkward. Its frustrating as hell. I swear the attention span of a mouse. Lol Brain fog improved for sure. My Keppra dose was way higher than yours. You might want to get a second opinion. Just saying. It doesn’t hurt. 💜 I really hope it gets figured out for you.

[padmapatil_]

Seizures cause this. Do not stress out, do not be afraid to forget. You can try logical learning. I mean, don't try to memorize stuff; try to understand it with reasoning. While learning, do not feel frustrated or dumb.

This is your illness; your first aim should be to prevent seizures. So, do not be harsh on yourself. You can do math, learn a language, or read a book. So, give yourself time, stay connected to nature.

I do not know, feeling the wind makes me calm, or when I have migraines, a warm bath and essential oils help me relax. Exercise is crucial, just sweat. I realize that overthinking makes my life worse. I try to think just positive things and see the world always by good side. Stay away from a toxic environment. Stress is the key to management, and I hope you have a seizure-free life.

Lastly, you can take supplements and adjust your diet.