What Causes Memory Impairment While On Elavil?

Question : I've been on effexor for 10 Years for menopause and tiredness like depression 37.50, few years ago 75mg. Elavil for 26 for sleep problem and once in a while zopiclone. I've been having some big issues with my memory around 3 years ago. I went to see a psychiatrist 5 months ago and told him about my memory concern, my tendency to stay alone, never really have close friends, don't socialize much and my spending issues, focusing problems since I was a child. He told me that I was a little adhd and a little bipolar. Since 5 months, I've been trying all the adhd pills, I can't deal with them, make my problem worst, I stopped elavil and took some trazodone just for short time, very bad. I tried seroquel, lamictal and the last one is ability and modafinil. I tried all of them for one week, 2 weeks or 1 month. Now it seems I lost all my short term memory. I can't describe my problem, it is horrible, scary. I stopped elavil and I keep Effexor only at 75 mg because Effexor is a killer, impossible to stop that one. My bring is ready to shut down, I can't even remember for example if I copy something on internet, I don't even remember what to do next, I have to think and think to paste it on Word sheet. I close the door of my car while the car is still running, I do things without thinking cause I can't think. Very strange but I could still writing and talking as before but my vocabulary in my both languages are getting less. But I still can speak fast but if I stopped for one second I forget what I was saying. I can't remember any names, so embarrassing to ask over and over. I can't focus on anything. Please help me, tell me anything, what should I do? I've been going to the doctor for 5 months every 2 weeks to change medication, last week I got lost for a good 20 minutes, I was keeping driving up and down the street don't even realize it was the street cause this time my gps was not working. What a mess I became. I look young, I am young in my thinking probably because I am into arts. No illegal drugs or alcohol. Please could someone help me, I am in deep despair of losing everything I've got which is my brain. Nothing else matter only my brain. By the way, I am slim and I eat well. Fruits every day, vegetables. Now I am taking ginseng belova, omega3, b2, 12 etc. I go to gym once in a while, not too often. HELP!!!!

Dear Doctor,

Thank you for coming back to me. So happy to hear from you. I’ve been waiting for you all night last night. I found out the answer was waiting for me this afternoon on the website.

I am in XXXX.
5'6 and 133 pounds.
My dad died at 66, no sign of dementia
My mom is 84, no sign of dementia.


What is your age?

I am 62 years old, Female

What medications are you currently taking?

26 years of ELAVIL 25 mg
10 years of EFFEXOR 37.50, since few years, I toke 75mg
+ 6 months of none stop stimulants and antidepressants.

Now I am taking only Effexor and Zopiclone to sleep and all supplements mentioned down below. I want to stop Effexor. I don't know what to do to stop that, every time I tried, I became sick, I cried non stop then I have to go back on it. Zopiclone, I think is a memory killer.

Medications

The last 6 months, for Adhd, I tried:
Adderol, Vyvanse, Wellbutrin, Biphentin, Modafinil etc.

The last 6 months, for depression and bipolar, I tried
Seroquel….foggy, can’t think, very bad.
Trintellex….stomach problem, very bad
Trazodone for sleep….memory killer….fooggy
Lamictal….itching very bad
Abilify….brain frog, disorientation, very bad


Do you ever use benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan, or Valium?

I can’t take those kind of medication, I don’t like the feeling, a feeling of addiction, I hate that.

Do you take any other supplements?

I used to take some vitamins but recently I bought a lot more. I am taking Ginkgo Bilova, Essential Amino Energy, B-100, Flaxseed oil, Omega 369, B 12, Cold liver oil, Spectrum (18 vitamins and minerals) I just bought Calcium magnezium D3 , melatonin at night.

When did first notice memory problems start, and which medications were you taking at that time?

I always have problem memorizing texts, I was not a good student, I could not focus, I was in the class but my mind was on the sky flying, just like a bird. I manage to do my high school. I learned a lot of other stuffs along the way.

I always want to do my University, I do some but I can’t learn, I can’t concentrate to read but I love to read, I never finished a book, I have difficulty to watch TV, I can’t listen, I can’t take cue, I can’t follow in a classroom, I have to ask what did the teacher said….Only when something is extremely important, I made a huge big effort to understand. I can’t read manual, it annoys me,

Now it is worst with all those medications, my brain became foggy, nothing happening, like cloud, if I closed my eyes, I could see only cloud before I could see lights but not anymore. For the last 6 months, I forgot a lot of appointments, things like that never happen to me.

All started by this event :

I went to a school to get some info the beginning of this year, they forced me to take a loan from the government for a Social Services course, a course who supposes to take 2 to 3 years at least at University. This private school offers that course for a period of 6 months only (a bunch of crooks) I started the class, I could not follow, 1 college book to learn in one week, it is unbelievable, I give it up after one month, the government is forcing me to pay 24.000. Since that day, 6 months ago, my life became a living hell.


Do you consider your depression well-controlled, or are you still depressed?

Never well-controlled, always tired, can’t ever keep a job, no friends, no boyfriend, can’t go to bed, never feel sleepy, I am a daydreamer, no energy, procrastinate a lot, big and huge difficulty to organize things, I turned around a lot and nothing is done, I started doing something and switched to something else and kept switching again, get distracted very easily, I can be very impatient, sometimes impulsive but I tried to be less aggressive and impulsive, I can’t work, only part time here and there doing acting and singing.

A little about family

I noticed some brain fragility in the family, I believe it come from my mother side, the mother of my mother was very strange, she is not the one who take care of my mother when my mother were born, she was living in her own world. I don't know her life that well but she was not socialized once she came home, a little brother saw her behavior was strange, cause she is cleaning all the time, non stop, never seat down and my brother start bothering her, I remembered, she became so nervous and excited and she took her bag and go and never come home again, I used to go to vacation in the country where she lives, she spent her time helping others, she doesn't talk much, not much conversation, I can’t remember anything between me and her but a good soul.

But when I mention that to my mother, for her it is like an insult. That old generation can't face the truth. I noticed that my mother has a lot of problem too. She has a cleaning obsession just like her mother and a lot of other stuffs too. My mother never really had close friends, the problem is well hidden. She is not dealing with exterior world, she doesn't need any medication, anyway, she thought she is 100% normal but always some kind of drama in the family. I used to help but now I stayed away, I started to understand too many things.

I have only one daughter, she is doing her Phd's at UCLA California, she is a brain, she has a scholarship, she just went to LA one month ago. My daughter is my best friend, I did a great job. I am extremely proud of her. I thought my mother was my best friend too but she doesn't want to be anymore, but it is alright. If I have a man in my life, the man is my best friend.

Sorry Doctor, I am telling you all of this cause I need help and you said you could, thank you of wanting to help me. I want you to know everything about my family then it will be easy for you to understand my case.

To come back to me. I lost a sister in New York city, we all think the husband kills her but no proof, no DNA in 1979, then the murder is still running free. My life was very stressful already, go to school and work every day. Suddenly my life changed, I was hurt so badly, I know the man kills her, a lot of proof but no one saw anything. In 79 in New York, no one cares, it used to be a lot of crime in that city. I was devastated. I remember telling my sister, you have one choice if you want to live cause he will kill you, no doubt of it, she said I know. I told her give me your daughter, leave the boy to the father, leave the baby girl to my mother and disappear, she said and then, I told her go to California and no one should know where you are. She said I can't, she was a battered woman with no energy, she lost her dignity, her self-esteem, she had courage to accept her husband to mistreat her, beat her and talk down on her. In that conversation that day, I told her I know that you are going to die but I will revenge you, she said to me I know you are the only one in the family who could do that. But poor me what can I do, police knows that’s him but they said that man doesn’t have any blood in his vain.

Sorry Doctor to go to the details, I just want you to understand. Since the death of my sister, I developed a sleeping problem, I spent 1 year after my sister death without sleeping, I used to drink alcohol to sleep but the problem getting worst. I discover pills to sleep when I met my husband in 1981. Once in a while I will take a Valium from my husband. In 1984 We get married and I have an awesome daughter, I divorced that man because he was an alcoholic when my daughter was only 1 year old. I give all my love to my daughter, she is awesome, she is my best piece of art, my best gift to the world.

In 1988 after the lost of a lawyer I used to go out with, a lovely man, so dear to me, a man who loves me like crazy, disappeared just like that from a heart operation, only 40 years old, I was devastated, I started taking elavil one year later and I always make sure that I sleep by taking that pill for over 26 years. I suffered Fibromyalgia, Elavil used to help me a lot.
Now I heard that Elavil causes memory loss. 10 years ago, I started taking Effexor, I heard Effexor causes memory loss.

As I said, I always have a focus and memory problem. I think singing really help me a lot because to sing we need to breath and I think the breathing really help me not to lose my sanity.

It is a little too long but as I said, I really want you to get the all picture for you to help me. No doctors has time to listen to anyone, they throw the patients away so fast with a prescription on their hands, of course they don’t have time, I understand, when a lot of other people are waiting in the front room to see them.

Please doctor, ask me any questions and you will get an answer. By the way, I saw my physician recently, I passed a blood test, everything is fine, just a little bit of cholesterol. Look forward to hear from you as soon as possible. Please send me an email to tell me that the answer is ready at : YYYY@YYYY

XXXX,

I wrote a long note and I lost it. I will write it again tomorrow. Thank you.

Dear Doctor,
What a disappointment early morning after writing a long note, finally I lost everything. Here I am again. To start, I think you could be right about Gingko bilova. The impairment started approximately the same time I started it. But to confirm I think I need to find the receipt of when I purchased it. What do you think about Essential Amino Energy? I've been taking that every day for energy cause I am moving and I need energy to do a lot of stuffs, I am still looking at them and don't do them. When I toke it I feel like I am on adderol, the sensation I hate, the feeling I am not normal...like if I was on drugs. Do you think this could affect my impairment?
I think eventually I will try Vyvanse again when my depression is treated. I think I have to get used to that druggy feeling. I will ask the doctor to perform the baseline cognitive testing.
I will listen to you, I have a lot of confidence in you. Thank you for the help. I realized now I've been depressed since my sister died. I stopped college and I started going out and meet people in club to talk about the death of my sister.

Please could you answer those questions? I will try to be brief.
First since I've been trying all those pills, it became impossible to sleep a good 7 - 8 hours. That's worried me a lot. I will lose my physical health and my beauty if I kept going like that. Zopiclone was the only sleeping pill who really could make me sleep. I've been sleeping only 3 hours at night and the effect of the medication when I wake up is killing me. Last night I tried camomile, milk, melatonin, zopiclone and I still can't sleep well.

Secondly Doctor, what to do exactly to stop Effexor, yesterday I tried to miss a dose, late at night, my brain zap start, I never toke it at night, I decided to take it late last night. Do I need to replace it by another antidepressants? Or did lithium only could help the depression as well?

Thirdly, what exactly make you think I could be bipolar? Family behaviour or my own behaviour My life sound so much like ADHD.... What type may I am? Type 1 or 2. I don't try to say I am not, I just want to understand. If antidepressants never help my problems it is because I may be bipolar. I want to try lithium. What dose should I ask the doctor to start? I have to go slowly at the beginning and after 2 weeks how much should I raise it? Hopefully my physician will give it to me, usually he doesn't want to. My psychiatrist is on vacation plus I scared him out last week when I told him about my impairment, he told me to find a young doctor cause he worked once every two weeks and he is old. He is going to take his retirement etc., but he used to tell me about lithium I was scared to touch it, I will definitely try it.

My big problem now I am going to the States for few months in 15 days. I need to find the right medication before leaving. I spent 6 months in hell, hopefully I will be lucky this time. Here medication is cheaper than the States and I don't have any insurance plan in the States. I need to fix my problem. I find you at the right time. I have to hurry, please answer me as soon as possible I am going to call my doctor office to see if I could see him today.

Thank you so much doctor.