Hello all,
I'm 29 and I have an very inconsistant memory. There are certain things I remember learning in school that i will never forget, small things, like random definitions, terminologies, certain people. In contrast, I can't seem to remember th simplist things.

Most of what I learn today and all throughout my life so far just seems to slip away most of the time. I'm going back to school and back on mediacation for ADD. When I'm in class, focused, feeling that I've got the information locked in my brain, I'll find later on that it slips away. Let's say I get tested or try to apply what I thought I remembered, its just not there. Sometimes I don't even recall anything of what I learned.

There are also times, where I am so unfocused, I could literally fall out of my chair asleep, Its happened driving on road trips.

I have a really hard time remembering character name's on a tv show I religiously watch. I forget movie details, even if I've seen it twice.

I'm afraid I may be getting worse, I don't have the time or patience to study the same chapters 2 and 3 times.

I could go on, but I doubt there's enough space here ;-)
Hoping someone here can relate and give me a success story about themselves or something.

Thanks for reading,
Atman

there's a book a read that describes different types of problems involved with memory. it's called a mind at a time by mel levine. i remember reading a section on memory. and the different types of memory problems kids exhibit. the book deals almost exclusively with children, but, i think most of the material translates well to adults. so, if you want to understand what might be going on with your leaky memory, that might be a place to start.

welcome to the forums and good luck.

wheezie

ATMAN, I can't give you a success story I am afraid...I have the same trouble..
Welcome to the forums and I hope you can get some great advice from someone else..
good luck

yep, thats me too!

My memory sucks so bad.

I have a really hard time remembering character name's on a tv show I religiously watch. I forget movie details, even if I've seen it twice.

Same.

I worked in an office with about 20 people. After 12 months there were still 3 or so people I did not remeber thier names. It is very very humilating.
I try everything from a making a list of the names and a map of where they are sitting, to taking a group photo and studying it. Its almost like my mind wants to not accept they exist or something. I hate it...

I have a really hard time remembering character name's on a tv show I religiously watch. I forget movie details, even if I've seen it twice.
Me too :D , im even worse at remembering movie details, It gets frustrating when everyone is talking about a movie that Ive seen and i can't join in because I can't ever remember any of it!

I also forget places ive been to, even if ive been there a thousend times it would seem like a new place to me, I suppose that could be good because places that ive been to before will look like a new place and so it would be more interesting, but then its bad because I can never find my way around places or buildings even if I go there often! :rolleyes:

Hello all,
I'm 29 and I have an very inconsistant memory. There are certain things I remember learning in school that i will never forget, small things, like random definitions, terminologies, certain people. In contrast, I can't seem to remember th simplist things.

Most of what I learn today and all throughout my life so far just seems to slip away most of the time. I'm going back to school and back on mediacation for ADD. When I'm in class, focused, feeling that I've got the information locked in my brain, I'll find later on that it slips away. Let's say I get tested or try to apply what I thought I remembered, its just not there. Sometimes I don't even recall anything of what I learned.

There are also times, where I am so unfocused, I could literally fall out of my chair asleep, Its happened driving on road trips.

I have a really hard time remembering character name's on a tv show I religiously watch. I forget movie details, even if I've seen it twice.

I'm afraid I may be getting worse, I don't have the time or patience to study the same chapters 2 and 3 times.

I could go on, but I doubt there's enough space here ;-)
Hoping someone here can relate and give me a success story about themselves or something.

Thanks for reading,
AtmanI'm 31 and my memory is the same, lately I've taken to carrying a small notebook with me so I can write down anything important, of course I forget to check it later!When I DO remember to check it I find it helps me refresh recent information and actually absorb it properly.

TV shows and films I'm in the same boat too, even films that I've seen upwards of ten times like Withnail and I are sometimes impossible to recall properly, and I find I either remember vast amounts of information or none at all, there seems to be no middle ground.
So in conversation, people either think you are lying about having seen the film due to not remembering anything but claiming to have seen it, or they think you are some strange headcase who religiously studies said film and can reel off every scene...
I once forgot my brother's name while I was talking to him which goes down as my strangest experience ever, as if my brain just suddenly froze up :eyebrow:

Hey Atman~

I'm in your same boat. I'm 27 and back in school where I feel like everyone else is grasping the information except me. I can't get focused to even read my text books. I work at a law firm during the day and I have my struggles there as well. If only I could focus...If only my memory would work! I can relate to not remembering the names of characters on my favorite t.v. shows as well. Are you currently taking any medication? My Dr. started me on Strattera two weeks ago...it hasn't helped one bit. I have another appointment tomorrow, so I think I will be doing a medication switch.

Well... the boat might just have to be upgraded to a ship. My memory has always been bad as well... I'm still undxed at this point, but I know the feeling of not being able to discuss a movie you just watched.

I'll watch a movie with my wife and she falls asleep... after the movie is over, she'll wake up and ask me how it went. It's kind of embarassing to tell your wife that you don't remember what happened in a movie you just watched. I usually just give her the spoiler and leave out all details.

Books are the same way. I'm easily drawn into a good book, so much so, that I'll sometimes read a good 400 page novel in a day. What I find strange is that I could read an entire 10 or 11 book series with the same 5 characters in it, and not be able to describe them. I can remember the names... and maybe what they are wearing... but I never have a picture in my head about what they look like.

I too am curious if medication will change my memory problem. Like, if it help me file that information in a more accessible way, or if I'll just be paying better attention? Even stuff I hyperfocus on gets lost in the clutter in my head in a short time. I'm known as a fount' of useless knowledge... albeit a very shallow one. That is to say, that it seems that I know a little about almost everything, but I can never remember the details.

I think I've got the perfect way to describe my life(and yes you can quote me):) . "I feel like my life is a book I once read, I remember the gist, but I can't quite make out the details." :confused:

Anyways... sorry bout the long post. (EDIT: Oh... and I figured the quote fit me so well... I made it my sig :D)

::success story::~ensure whatever you're learning makes sense~
~by asking yourself questions about issues which arise out of whatever you've learnt~
~some you'll answer - will make you fell good~
~some you won't - because they're unanswerable~

... however whichever way ... the act of playing with ideas, anchors them within mind - or memory - for later recall ...

Standard rote learning isn't really a recipe for success for the ADDer ... the ADDer mind needs to fit anything new - into his or her existing framework - and anything new just plain won't go in - unless a place is teased open for the information to reside.

So - the only advice I'd give'd be - play with whatever you're learning - until it's understood - at which point it'll be learnt.

Longer for the ADDer to learn.
Harder for the ADDer to forget.

That's the trade-off.

SB.

I usually don't remember people's names. Unless ofcourse something about them is striking, like I remember all the HOOTER girl's.

But at work, fortunatly or unfortunatly, depending on who we are talking about, nobody is running around in orange shorts and a tank top. So I have to work a little harder to remember my coworkers names.


For example, there is a guy here named Mike, but he is always depressed about some random woman he is dating. So to me, he is MikeD, for depressed Mike.



I never forgot his name again.


-Vision

Man, I'm with you on the memory trouble. I forget what I'm talking about on occassion, names never stick, I have trouble recalling stuff almost to fury. It's hell. When I was diagnosed the doc said I was on the 28th percentile in memory. Pretty crappy, but I worry less about it now. If anyone knows of any tips to improve it, I'd love to hear them. If not, I guess you better learn to except it and deal with. And remember, stress/worry makes it worse!

D

im 29 too. early onset alzheimers?

...i can recall something offensive you said to me eight years ago, verbatim, but i'll be damned if i can remember where i put my keys.

Same here, and like the others I noticed that I have to anchor things.
Once that new bit gets connected with something else, it's ok.

Oh, and at least for me, a lot times it's not that it's not there... It just takes a long time to remember it.

...i can recall something offensive you said to me eight years ago, verbatim, but i'll be damned if i can remember where i put my keys.lol why can't I remember where I put the remote but I can remember my dads old number plate from 5 years ago??

man, i am the same way. sucks. can't remember anything, but can remember when I was 2 years old.

How can we function?

This sucks.

I can't get employed because I have no work experience. I have two degrees, of God knows how long it took me to get them. I am trying to go back to school, but can't remember anything. I read and read but can't remember. I have no money for medicine. Am I hopeless? I can't even remember if I posted this a few moments ago. Please advise me

Thanks

Nitin

:faint:


Omg, I think you are all Vision clones!







-Vision

Hey Atman~

I'm in your same boat. I'm 27 and back in school where I feel like everyone else is grasping the information except me. I can't get focused to even read my text books. I work at a law firm during the day and I have my struggles there as well. If only I could focus...If only my memory would work! I can relate to not remembering the names of characters on my favorite t.v. shows as well. Are you currently taking any medication? My Dr. started me on Strattera two weeks ago...it hasn't helped one bit. I have another appointment tomorrow, so I think I will be doing a medication switch.

I took adderall in highschool and early college years ago, but I got really skinny on it... I was up to about 60-80mg daily, ugh. Thats actually one of the reasons I quit school the first time. I was so tweaked out on adderall, however, I was making good grades!
Now I'm on Concerta and it really helps, I just have to get past the " i need more" stage everyday. Its been about 2 months and I feel like the side effects are starting now.
I've heard good and really bad stories about Strattera.
Arthur

Thanks for that. These things I know, however its nice to be reminded.
I just feel like I would never leave my desk if i studied as much as i should. If I could get away with missing a few nights sleep a week, I think i could do it. :)


~ensure whatever you're learning makes sense~
~by asking yourself questions about issues which arise out of whatever you've learnt~
~some you'll answer - will make you fell good~
~some you won't - because they're unanswerable~

... however whichever way ... the act of playing with ideas, anchors them within mind - or memory - for later recall ...

Standard rote learning isn't really a recipe for success for the ADDer ... the ADDer mind needs to fit anything new - into his or her existing framework - and anything new just plain won't go in - unless a place is teased open for the information to reside.

So - the only advice I'd give'd be - play with whatever you're learning - until it's understood - at which point it'll be learnt.

Longer for the ADDer to learn.
Harder for the ADDer to forget.

That's the trade-off.

SB.

This sucks.

I can't get employed because I have no work experience. I have two degrees, of God knows how long it took me to get them. I am trying to go back to school, but can't remember anything. I read and read but can't remember. I have no money for medicine. Am I hopeless? I can't even remember if I posted this a few moments ago. Please advise me

Thanks

Nitin
I couldn't afford the meds either, however I discovered a behavioral health center that bills based on a sliding scale. I'm pretty sure every US city has these centers

I took adderall in highschool and early college years ago, but I got really skinny on it... I was up to about 60-80mg daily, ugh. Thats actually one of the reasons I quit school the first time. I was so tweaked out on adderall, however, I was making good grades!
Now I'm on Concerta and it really helps, I just have to get past the " i need more" stage everyday. Its been about 2 months and I feel like the side effects are starting now.
I've heard good and really bad stories about Strattera.
Arthur
Well, my doctor just upped my dose of Strattera...It makes my head feel weird. Foggy-like. This is the first time I've ever been on ADD meds. Is it supposed to feel this way? I still can't get things done with this new dose of 60mg...he said to go up to 80 in a few days if the 60 wasn't working. Should I switch if it is making my head feel this way? Do all ADD meds make you feel this way? I actually would like to try Adderall because I keep reading good things about it. I'm hypothyroid so I don't think the weight thing will be too big of a problem since my metabolism comes in the form of Synthroid. I guess I haven't heard too much about Strattera...

Well, my doctor just upped my dose of Strattera...It makes my head feel weird. Foggy-like. This is the first time I've ever been on ADD meds. Is it supposed to feel this way? I still can't get things done with this new dose of 60mg...he said to go up to 80 in a few days if the 60 wasn't working. Should I switch if it is making my head feel this way? Do all ADD meds make you feel this way? I actually would like to try Adderall because I keep reading good things about it. I'm hypothyroid so I don't think the weight thing will be too big of a problem since my metabolism comes in the form of Synthroid. I guess I haven't heard too much about Strattera...
I have a weird head feeling sometimes from concerta, mostly small headaches at the end off the day. What ever goes up must come down.
Honestly, any ADD med will have its down side. A friend of mine is on Strattera and it gives her night terrors at night, but it really has improved her life.

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; ch****t=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Omerta"><meta name="CREATED" content="20060926;21193800"><meta name="CHANGED" content="16010101;0"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; ch****t=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Omerta"><meta name="CREATED" content="20060926;21193800"><meta name="CHANGED" content="16010101;0"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> Ditto here. I can recall events in my life that happened years ago, but have trouble remembering the small things such as chores or grocery shopping. I think it's more of a selective memory. I only remember the things that I want to or find interesting. I wouldn't worry about Alzheimer, but reading supposedly helps with memory or just anything that keeps the mind active and of course eating right\exercise.

Ok, I can Sooo relate but I have a couple questions....

I did pretty well in school grades wise. I went to class, paid attention, took good notes and was a notorious for pulling an all-nighter the night before a test and doing well. Now come see me a week later and give me the test and I'd probably flunk. So, while on medication I could "Concentrate" and understand and retain the material usually on a short term basis, but long term, probably not. My question is, are you complaining of loss of memory or inability to concentrate and absorb the information easily. My concentration used to be pretty good, but retention not that great.

Now as far as "Memory" is concerned, I am terrible with names, and that is becoming a problem. The weird thing is...I rarely forget a FACE! So visually, really good, but trying to remember a person's name, and for me a case or client name, what the case was about, a law or statute, etc. etc. even if it was part of a research project I spent weeks on......not so much.

Have you ever gotten frustrated b/c you always seem to lose arguments/debates to a sibling, girlfiend or spouse because they can remember that one instance 2 years ago where you did something wrong and they have the knack of reminding you whenever it is convenient; BUT you can't ever remember the 5 specific times that they did the same thing or something similar, and you can't ever back up your position b/c you can't spout similar information off to them?? That is one of the most annoying things that gets me about my memory, outside of work and other social interactions.

So, prior to me quitting smoking I could concentrate relatively well, but memory is getting worse and worse. It especially see so after I started lawschool, and its seemed to get get worse ever since.

Ok, got side tracked by a phone call...one Last inquiry for my own benefit, how many of you pop their knuckles really bad when on their medication...etc. etc. I know I do, and that is usually my tell tale sign that my meds kicked in. Anyway, gotta run, look forward to responses.

SCHunter

Re: Strattera fuzziness

For me, the fuzziness did go away. I lean toward the feeling that unless side effects are life threatening or make you feel crazier than you already did, give the meds a chance.


Does anyone remember when Prozac came out and it was promised that it acted almost immediately and one size would fit all? And they were saying somewhat similar things when Strattera was first around.

Ok, I can Sooo relate but I have a couple questions....
Have you ever gotten frustrated b/c you always seem to lose arguments/debates to a sibling, girlfiend or spouse because they can remember that one instance 2 years ago where you did something wrong and they have the knack of reminding you whenever it is convenient; BUT you can't ever remember the 5 specific times that they did the same thing or something similar, and you can't ever back up your position b/c you can't spout similar information off to them?? That is one of the most annoying things that gets me about my memory, outside of work and other social interactions.
SCHunterI too have the social innability to remember the wrongs of others. If I don't write down the happenstance/number of times that I've forgiven someone for offenses against me... or just mistakes in general, I won't remember. So... they make 10 mistakes... I forgive on each account... I make one mistake... they rub it in forever.

Heh... this makes me particularly willing to rub it in after a prior rub in by them. After being "singled out" I'll remember every time... Call it a grudge if you wish, but I've made more than one person sorry they ever pointed out one of my (many) shortcomings. I do repress this urge when it comes to my beautiful, forgiving, loving wife though. (or at least I try):o

Anywhoo:D

I once forgot my brother's name while I was talking to him which goes down as my strangest experience ever, as if my brain just suddenly froze up :eyebrow:
Hate to engage in one-down-manship here, but recently in the middle of introducing myself I could not remember my own name and my friend had to finish introducing me. That was a truly appalling moment.:faint: I have since recovered and can tell you who I am.

Truthfully, though, I don't think it was a case so much of forgetting my name so much as getting really, really distracted just as I was about to say it. My mind went racing off chasing some other sudden thought and I couldn't get it back on track in time to finish introducing myself.

Two red flags

You mention:

(a) falling asleep in the daytime while in a chair,

(b) almost falling asleep even during driving.

Daytime sleepiness and falling asleep during times of high stimulation, like driving, are classic sleep disorder symptoms...

Talk to Your Doctor.

Sleep disorders mess up memory retrieval and learning, too, BTW.

They are normally consolidated during sleep. But not if you have messed up sleep...

LOL, SC Hunter (I think that's your name, I remember the SC part, lol)

I have NO memory for fights, disagreements, etc. As a matter of fact I think it has saved my marriage and I count it on the upside of things not "sticking" very hard in my head. I can be extremely ticked off about something, but ten minutes later, when I'm "trying to stay mad" (yes, sometimes, I try . . .) I'll try to remember what I'm mad about and I can't. No matter how hard I try, so I shrug it off and I'm happy again.

My non ADD hubby, on the other hand, remembers every disagreement we've ever had, everything I've ever done. It's totally unfair in an argument! So I always revert to the difficult to defend against, "You're so unforgiving! Just forget it and move on like I do!" Of course, I realize I'm probably no more forgiving than he is . . . he just can't forget the stuff, and I can't remember. So he stews and I don't!! Luckily he's a pretty laid back guy!

Like the rest of you, I tend to remember things with "salient" characteristics -- if there's somebody I LIKE at work, I can remember their names, but if I don't, it's no use. Luckily I live in the South where it's common to use "filler" words like "darlin'" (for children of friends when I can't remember their names, "Hey, how's your little darlin' doing?)

I don't know how we function in the real world. It's a mystery to me. And I don't find that ADD medications help with remembering things at all.