Memory........is my mind rotting?

[CathyA]

Maybe my brain issues are just part of the "flare" I seem to be having in all my muscles and joints. But dang........I can't begin to count the number of times in a day when I can't remember words. It's really starting to bother me.
I feel like my mind is very active all day.......maybe too active (ADD), but it's getting ridiculous.
Is this just "normal" aging?
DH is becoming the same way, but that doesn't make it okay.
Any mind exercises or supplements that might help?
I've heard of Prevagen, but I'm hesitant to use things that haven't been FDA approved.
It really is distressing. It gets in my way all day long.

[catherine]

Read David Perlmutter who wrote "The Better Brain" and "Grain Brain." I wouldn't take ALL of what he says as gospel truth, but I think some of his points are very valid.

As a result of reading his book I started taking a couple of the vitamins he recommends (although far from ALL of them--I think the full list is a little ridiculous and self-serving since he sells them. I take a Vitamin B-complex now, as well as Vitamin D which is also supposed to help mental clarity.

I know you are on several meds for pain, and according to him the following Rx can impact brain function: antacids, pain relievers, anti-psychotics, blood-pressure pills, cholesterol pills, anti-diabetics, asthma drugs.. the list goes on. Again, how much is actually fact vs fiction I can't say, but the take-away is that MAYBE one or two of the drugs you are on are causing "senior moments" (and we ALL have them!)

There are other factors he writes about (after all, he had to fill a book), and as I said, take what you like and leave the rest.

[CathyA]

Thanks catherine. I'm on a small dose of toprol (a beta blocker for BP) and I can't go any higher, or I get even stupider! I was on a higher dose when I had chickens, and I had trouble just counting them at night, to make sure they were all there! Fortunately, I don't need to go higher now.
And I'm on a small amount of an SSRI, and now tylenol 24/7........so I guess I deserve to have lots of those moments! Oh.......and then there's fibro fog......and being 66. Maybe I should just try to quit getting so upset when I can't remember stuff? :)
My iphone comes in handy in figuring out the word I'm looking for much more quickly.
Thanks for that book recommendation. I do take extra D and some B. I got a B complex 100 and it made me anxious/hyper.......(as does it my son), so I pour half of the powder out of the capsule and take half. I do teeter on having migraines and that jumbles my brain up too.
I guess I just have to wait to age even more to the point when I don't know that I can't remember things. ;)

[KayLR]

One word: menopause.

I am healthy as a horse, eat right and exercise. But I have that same malady: not being able to come up with the word I want. I just point or gesture, saying, "oh you know, that thing with the red top," or some such thing at the time. Aggravating, but I just try to see the humor of it.

I remember my grandma and kooky aunts doing the same thing at my age.

[catherine]

Sorry.. a little levity:

A man went next door to visit his neighbor. "How've you been?" he asked him.

The neighbor said, "Great! We went to a great restaurant last night!"

"What was the name of it?" the friend asked.

"Oh, gee, uh, let me see, I can't remember.. Wait a minute! What's the name of that flower?"

"Tulip?"

"No.." said the neighbor.

"Pansy?"

"No, that's not it. You know--the one with the thorns."

"Oh," said the man. "You mean a rose!"

"Yes!" said the neighbor. "That's it! A rose! Thank you!"

Then the neighbor yelled to his wife, "Rose! Rose! What's the name of the restaurant we went to last night?"

[CathyA]

LOL Catherine! That's a good one!

[freshstart]

having lost 68 IQ points in the past two years, I really needed that joke! I think I am slightly less moronic than I was two years ago but it's hard to tell. It has been an incredibly hard experience being suddenly a dumbed down version of myself. Just from my experience, I would mention mental status changes at a physical, you never know, it could have an easy fix.

I was put on vit B12 for "brain health". I just saw the head of neurology at our big medical center, he said my B12 level was normal, extra supplementation was completely unnecessary. I do take vit D once a week because that was low. But whose isn't lately?

[frugal-one]

having lost 68 IQ points in the past two years, I really needed that joke! I think I am slightly less moronic than I was two years ago but it's hard to tell. It has been an incredibly hard experience being suddenly a dumbed down version of myself. Just from my experience, I would mention mental status changes at a physical, you never know, it could have an easy fix.

I was put on vit B12 for "brain health". I just saw the head of neurology at our big medical center, he said my B12 level was normal, extra supplementation was completely unnecessary. I do take vit D once a week because that was low. But whose isn't lately?

B-12 deficiency supposedly doesn't always register. If your body does not need the B-12 you expel it in your urine. It may be worthwhile to try for a few weeks to see if it helps for brain lapse. Also, lecithin helps me immensely. If I don't take it for a few weeks, I lose words again. Supposedly, it also helps keep plaque from building up from cholesterol. I get granules and put 2 teaspoons on my cereal every morning. It has made a BIG difference. These are 2 cheap things to try.........