Memory Loss and Bipolar Disorder

Thousands of people with Bipolar Disorder struggle to find the right combination of medications and other therapies to ease their symptoms. For most, the goal is not necessarily to return to the same life they had before the onset of symptoms but to be able to live a stable and productive life. Unfortunately, even though other problems may be quelled with proper treatment, many with Bipolar Disorder suffer from short term memory loss.
These problems run from difficulty coming up with the right words to forgetting names to blanking out on complete conversations.

This memory loss can have different causes, as well. Both extremes of Bipolar Disorder, depression and mania, affect memory. Both make it difficult to focus, either because of lethargy or racing thoughts. While treatment may reduce symptoms or the likelihood of relapse, it is probable that many patients will have the occasional slip toward one phase or another. One of the indications of such a situation may be temporary short term memory loss.

The more often patients with Bipolar Disorder experience such events, whether minor fluctuations or major events, may affect how temporary the memory loss is. According to Medical News Today, current studies show that brain tissue is lost in patients with Bipolar Disorder, a loss that gets more dramatic with each episode. Some of this loss occurs in the section of the brain associated with memory.

The treatment for Bipolar Disorder may also be a factor in memory loss. Lamotrigine is one of the most popular drugs prescribed these days for Bipolar Disorder. Although originally created to help prevent epileptic seizures, Lamotrigine seems to be very effective in helping with Bipolar Disorder, particularly in those who suffer primarily from major depression. However, the packaging of Lamotrigine warns that it may cause concentration problems. Countless patients taking Lamotrigine claim in online boards to be having difficulty recalling words and names, or having difficulty spelling. These kinds of memory loss may be associated with Lamotrigine. Many of those patients on the boards claim that when they asked their doctors to prescribe a different drug from Lamotrigine, the memory loss subsided.

But changing from Lamotrigine is not an option for many Bipolar patients, so the memory loss must be dealt with in different ways. The studies cited in Medical News Today show that continued episodes may create more damage, so effectively managing Bipolar Disorder is the first step in preventing and maybe reversing brain damage. Suggestions include getting enough sleep on a regular cycle; keeping a consistent schedule; avoiding caffeine, alcohol and drugs; and consistently taking prescribed medication.

Many of the issues surrounding memory loss can also be dealt with. For instance, patients should get in the habit of making lists: lists of things to do, things to get, even people in the room. One of the most significant problems with the short term memory loss is forgetting to take medication. Using a container that has the days of the week marked or a timer on a cell phone can help patients stay on track.

Concerns about memory loss should be discussed with a doctor. Perhaps changing medications from Lamotrigine or lowering the dose is the answer. Perhaps the disorder itself is not being managed as well as it seems. But there are ways to deal with the memory loss, whether it is temporary or long term. And it is important to know that you are not alone.

References:Medical News Today. "Brain Tissue Loss Linked With Manic Depression." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/77396.php