Submitted by lonelywife40 on 12/25/2010.
New concern with ADD DH- he is experiencing memory loss. He claims that he doesn't recall specific conversations that we have. Conversations that I know we have had -some that are important, others more conversational - it doesn't matter - he really doesn't recall them taking place. Sometimes, I can relay some of the conversation to him and he may recall or he may not. He is frustrated and concerned with this issue. He is taking Dextroamphetamine XR and Prozac and some other meds for health issues. Could this be a result of the med's interacting? Is this memory loss common with ADD? He has made an appointment with his primary care doctor for this week to discuss this issue.
Re: Memory Loss
Submitted by williamd on
I've always had a hard time remembering specific conversations, which drives my wife nuts. It's definitely part of the ADHD package. But if it's gotten worse, it very well could have something to do with the meds.
I used to take Prozac (pre-ADHD diagnosis) for social anxiety and took a pretty high dose (60 mg I think). I definitely had space-out moments, such as driving somewhere and momentarily not having any idea what road I was on. After changing doctors I started asking about getting an ADHD evaluation, and the first thing she did was switch me from Prozac to Lexapro. She said Prozac wasn't as good for people with ADHD.
At a lower dose, Prozac might be fine. Others in my family take it at very low doses (< 10mg per week) which is enough to help them with few or no side effects. So your husband might look into lowering the dose to see if it helps. One of the benefits of Prozac is that it's available as a generic -- Lexapro is very expensive on my insurance plan.
One more issue could be the XR form. I take it with no problems, but my wife (we're a multi-ADHD household!) didn't like how it worked and switched to short-acting Ritalin. So it might be worth trying different formulations to find the one that works best for him.
I hope this is helpful. Good luck to you and your husband.
I experience memory loss when
Submitted by kippei on
I experience memory loss when my ADD is causing me stress. Normally I am forgetful or well really just distracted and with that I either don't hear parts of conversations or a lot of times I am struggling a lot with keeping my focus as I try to recall them. However, when I go through periods when my ADD stresses me (a little more then just being late for the bus) I have actual memory loss. I feel like there is a block missing in my memory. It is very frustrating and not to mention confusing! With medication my memory gets better however, if I still am going through the stress it doesn't matter how many pills I pop. Gotta deal with the stress if I want to start remembering where I put my wallet.
Thanks for your reply.
Submitted by lonelywife40 on
Thanks for your reply. Memory loss does seem to be a common theme with ADDers. And with the way my DH abused his med's it makes sense that he would have black outs and parts of conversations missing.
I hope that you find peace and that the stress you feel eases, to make life better :)