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I've been suffering from anxiety and depression since February and memory loss is scaring me help

Posted , 5 users are following.

danny43
danny43

Hi I am currently taking escitalopram 10mg for anxiety and depression and I'm suffering from server memory loss which started in February. I am 38 year old male of reasonable fitness and I'm scared I have dementia. I have been to see a doctor and had all the blood tests and I'm going for an MRI scan this week. I am not looking forward to it as I am expecting the worst. Is there anyone who can relate with this and possibly ease my anxiety that I'm dieing. Thanks in advance for any response.

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • gary78460
    gary78460 danny43

    Posted

    you sound like your writng my problems down,i also thought i was starting the early signs of dementia and that and a few other things kick started my depression and anxierty,it gets easyier m8 realy does i have great days and not so great day and still my memory isent to good but we are getting older 2,do people that have dementian actualy realise they have it? i dont think they do or thats what i tell myself,i think u will find u dont have it,or u on meds 4 depression and anxierty?
  • g.90572
    g.90572 danny43

    Posted

    Some of the medicines cause memory loss
  • merianna13804
    merianna13804 danny43

    Posted

    Hi Danny,

    Relax, Stress along with anxiety/depression are big causes of forgetfulness and memory loss. Your suffering from anxiety and depression and obsessed by very frightening thoughts (dementia and death). Your mind is very preoccupied and the negative thoughts feed, compounds and exacerbates into a visious circle.  Also as another post said some meds can have side effects.

    By all means get this problem checked out as you are doing to relieve your fears but keep in mind that there is explanation for your forgetfulness and the probability is also very much in your favor that you do not have dementia. 

     

  • iris46
    iris46 danny43

    Posted

    It's strange how the mind works. I've had depression on two other occasions, where I genuinely thought I was either suffering from diabetes or overactive thyroid.  The other time I thought that the subject I taught was thoroughly boring.....when the depression lifted I loved it again.  It's your depression thinking for you.

  • danny43
    danny43

    Posted

    Thanks for your replies everyone.

    I am home from work now so I will give you more details. I gave up drinking and smoking on 6th Feb and stopped drinking tea and coffee eight cups a day because I felt heart palpitations, after this I developed bad anxiety and started having moments of panic and developed diarrhoea and tinnitus.

    Last year I lost my job my relationship ended and I was taken through court, I also moved out of my hometown in with my parents. I was looking for work when I developed brain fog and memory loss really bad, really scary and gave me full on panic attacks. I started running every day on 28th March and noticed I felt better after my evening meal. On 10th April I noticed an internal trembling upon waking and a jolting sensation when falling asleep, also I had congestion in my throat and nose for months. It has made my spelling mistakes really bad and maths in my head impossible in fact my cognitive function as a whole is now poor, I used to be a quick witted guy. My emotions are totally numb not happy or sad nor excited just flat. My hands tingle and my independent has gone im a wreck. And to top it off I was so scared of taking escitalopram because of my 52bpm heart rate I only started talking the proscribed 10mg 4 weeks ago before that I was just taking 5 mg for 8 weeks. So now you know what I'm going through there is without doubt something wrong the question is can it really just be anxiety and depression.

    • iris46
      iris46 danny43

      Posted

      Hi Danny, you gave up a lot of habits in one go, and you suffered reactions from each, especially smoking and alcohol.  I'm not surprised anxiety settled in...your body had been relying on all four habits, but you took them away.  You are now having side effects from your new med because your body isn't used to it.  Tbh, I'd ask your doc to increase further next week......I think you are having all side effects and no benefits. I started citalopram 3 weeks ago on 20mg...after a week increased to 30mg, and last week to 40......I feel spaced out, but hopefully will get well soon.  You are on a very low dose, so do t wait too long before you get it increased.

    • danny43
      danny43 iris46

      Posted

      Apparently escitalopram is stronger or something on the patients information it says 20mg is maximum but yeah an increase maybe the way forward if they don't tell me I'm dying after my MRI that is,honestly my head feels bad it's not a nice place to be right now. I never even knew this illness existed, these symptoms are horrendous I'm not going to be able to carry on working much longer if it doesn't improve soon.

    • gary78460
      gary78460 danny43

      Posted

      again your describing what were my symptoms untill recently,touch wood,ive just started laughing again proply after a few months off meds ,you will get better as silly as it sound you have to forget your depressed and anxious to remember how to laugh again ,sounds daft but thats how ive started to get out of it,go 4 walks at least once a day and put music on and just sing along to it even if u dont want to appart from that eat healthy ,cut caffeen down,ive just started drinking it again as i love coffee but i always have a green tea in the morning,seemed to help me well i think it has
    • danny43
      danny43 gary78460

      Posted

      Yeah thanks Gary will do these things and hope your progress continues, I think I will feel a bit more positive when this dreaded MRI scan is out the way as it is a source of great concern for me
  • danny43
    danny43

    Posted

    I've just read back what I've wrote sorry about the zero flow to my writing but I'm really struggling today you see I have two or three good days and then crash badly and have two bad days this ones really bad can't think hardly.

    • iris46
      iris46 danny43

      Posted

      My doc did my increase really quickly to get the side effects over and done with at once (relatively), rather than spinning it out for months.  Yeah, my last 4 weeks have been horrendous but things can only t better now.  There are times when my concentration is zilch, can't even think of my shopping needs.  

  • danny43
    danny43

    Posted

    Just to let you all know my MRI scan came back all clear, I'm starting on a higher dose of escitalopram tomorrow 15mg and I'm hoping my memory improves in time maybe the doctor should test for other things in not sure what but I'm going to ask when i see him next week.

    Does anyone know what the risks are with this drug and a low resting heart rate it says on the patients information not to take if you have a low resting heart rate and mines 52 which I think is low seen as I'm not an athlete or anything like that, I'm already taking 10mg and was really worried about that so now I'm worried again.the doctor didn't seem concerned at all which kind of confused me if I'm honest don't know what to believe

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