More Information On My Cognitive Problems At School

[Markey]

Hi,

Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).

I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces

Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.

Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mark

[HoPpeR© trading at 1492¥]

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

It was a bit startling for me to read your examples of "what is wrong"
with your ability to study. I have/had these same problems with the
same examples you gave. Sometimes I could not remember where the keys
were, or perhaps more precisely, I could not concentrate on where the
key was. My head might skip too far ahead and my fingers would get
lost. The same thing is true with learning access. I could not keep my
mind on the subject long enough to connect the fields the way they
should be.

I found that being fatigued helped in this so I would do my work after
being up for a long time. This worked for a while but my body would
not stand it and it really isn't a solution, just a way to cope.

I've not found anything that makes these problems go away, they creep
back. Keeping my mind calm helps and benzos like Klonopin or Valum
were a good tool when I had a script.

Lithium and Lamictal are both mood stabilizer. Lamictal has
antidepressant properties. Seroquel has anti-manic properties. Many
people seem to have trouble thinking on it. I would suggest you talk
with your pdoc about this and try something other than Seroquel.

You have not told us if your current symtoms are more manic or
depressed now and what your symtoms were before you went on your
current meds. Seroquel is more for mania than depression. More info
please.


Be well,

HoP

The preceding message represents personal opinions
and/or advice that may prove incorrect or harmful. But then maybe not.
Feel free to disregard.

------- Words have no Warranty ------
------- No View without Merit ------
..

[HoPpeR© trading at 1492¥]

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

It was a bit startling for me to read your examples of "what is wrong"
with your ability to study. I have/had these same problems with the
same examples you gave. Sometimes I could not remember where the keys
were, or perhaps more precisely, I could not concentrate on where the
key was. My head might skip too far ahead and my fingers would get
lost. The same thing is true with learning access. I could not keep my
mind on the subject long enough to connect the fields the way they
should be.

I found that being fatigued helped in this so I would do my work after
being up for a long time. This worked for a while but my body would
not stand it and it really isn't a solution, just a way to cope.

I've not found anything that makes these problems go away, they creep
back. Keeping my mind calm helps and benzos like Klonopin or Valum
were a good tool when I had a script.

Lithium and Lamictal are both mood stabilizer. Lamictal has
antidepressant properties. Seroquel has anti-manic properties. Many
people seem to have trouble thinking on it. I would suggest you talk
with your pdoc about this and try something other than Seroquel.

You have not told us if your current symtoms are more manic or
depressed now and what your symtoms were before you went on your
current meds. Seroquel is more for mania than depression. More info
please.


Be well,

HoP

The preceding message represents personal opinions
and/or advice that may prove incorrect or harmful. But then maybe not.
Feel free to disregard.

------- Words have no Warranty ------
------- No View without Merit ------
..

[Nom dePlume]

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of
proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

I would suspect that Seroquel is more likely to cause cognitive
problems than Lithium or Lamictal. Antipsychotic medications can
certainly have that effect, and Seroquel is sedating as well.

Do you know if you need Seroquel? I'm surprised to see that you are
taking it on top of the other two medications. Why do you have it? For
that matter, what are the symptoms of your unmedicated life that you
are trying to resolve?

[marcia]

Post by Nom dePlume

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of
proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

I would suspect that Seroquel is more likely to cause cognitive
problems than Lithium or Lamictal. Antipsychotic medications can
certainly have that effect, and Seroquel is sedating as well.
Do you know if you need Seroquel? I'm surprised to see that you are
taking it on top of the other two medications. Why do you have it? For
that matter, what are the symptoms of your unmedicated life that you
are trying to resolve?

The atypicals are supposed to help with cognitive problems and actually
improve thinking, which has been my experience with them over the past
4-5 years. It's my understanding that they do this by moving dopamine to
the prefrontal cortex, but I need to look this up to verify it.

OTOH, Lithium is known to cause difficulties for many people, as are
anticonvulsants, such as Lamictal, because they tend to interfere with
left-brain cognition. Again, this has been my experience (verified by my
pdoc), and is the reason I stopped taking Neurontin, which is in roughly
the same family as Lamictal.

You're right about Seroquel's sedative properties causing problems,
though. Even a tiny (25 mg) dose in the morning would wipe out my
thinking for most of the day. I've found that taking the entire dose at
bedtime (and *none* in the a.m.) resolved the issue. Optionally, another
atypical, Abilify, can be taken in the morning without causing sedation
or interfering with thinking.

I would talk to my pdoc about your memory issues and ask him/her to help
you come up with a med plan that will help minimize this.

marcia

[Nom dePlume]

Post by marcia

Post by Nom dePlume
I would suspect that Seroquel is more likely to cause cognitive
problems than Lithium or Lamictal. Antipsychotic medications can
certainly have that effect, and Seroquel is sedating as well.
Do you know if you need Seroquel? I'm surprised to see that you are
taking it on top of the other two medications. Why do you have it?
For that matter, what are the symptoms of your unmedicated life
that you are trying to resolve?

The atypicals are supposed to help with cognitive problems and
actually improve thinking, which has been my experience with them
over the past 4-5 years. It's my understanding that they do this by
moving dopamine to the prefrontal cortex, but I need to look this up
to verify it.

Marcia - "Supposed to" are the key words. My brief experience with
Zyprexa just about finished me off, and one of the negative symptoms I
had was deteriorating ability to think. I'm not advising against
Zyprexa, or any other atypical antipsychotic, just pointing out the
usual wide individual variation in response that people have to these
medications.

Post by marcia
OTOH, Lithium is known to cause difficulties for many people, as are
anticonvulsants, such as Lamictal, because they tend to interfere
with left-brain cognition. Again, this has been my experience
(verified by my pdoc), and is the reason I stopped taking Neurontin,
which is in roughly the same family as Lamictal.

I've noticed that kind of problem with Topamax, but not with Lamictal
or Depakote. Another YMMV.

Post by marcia
You're right about Seroquel's sedative properties causing problems,
though. Even a tiny (25 mg) dose in the morning would wipe out my
thinking for most of the day. I've found that taking the entire dose
at bedtime (and *none* in the a.m.) resolved the issue. Optionally,
another atypical, Abilify, can be taken in the morning without
causing sedation or interfering with thinking.
I would talk to my pdoc about your memory issues and ask him/her to
help you come up with a med plan that will help minimize this.

Excellent advice!

[HappyPolarBear]

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

Hi Mark,

Lithium causes memory problems (so I have been told by my doctor). When
I was at school I had to write everything down. Maybe more than others.
But I pretended I don't have a short term memory. At home I would go
over my notes again and tried to get them into my memory.

Proofreading was one of my major subjects cause that is the biggest
part of the job a legal assistant does. I found having the same
problems as you with this. Are you able to talk to your teacher to get
some extra time. I found this helped me a lot as it took the time
pressure away. Proofreading the best way I found is to read the whole
sentence first and then the words, and then look at the letters only
this way you will catch errors like off or of cause you eyes will
seperate it as words.

I freeze many times in my life and I believe is cause by seroquell. I
think seroquell slows my brain down and keeps me tiered all day. But I
have to deal with it and keep myself on reminding to stay foccused on
what I am doing. And I am on a much lower dosis than you. but I needed
for sleeping and staying calm throughout the day.

In regards to Access I think it's much harder to follow instruction in
a book to get things done than seeing it or doing it. If the book
forgets one step or writes one step different, you are srewed and would
not know how to get ahead. Is there any possibility to work with your
classmates on projects. If not if you want you can E-mail me and I may
be able to help you out. I worked with Access for a long time, and
liked it too. :)

now I'll better get ready for work.

greetings
HappyPolarBear

[HappyPolarBear]

Post by Markey
Hi,
Right Now I am taking Lithium (1200 mgs), Lamectal (400mgs) and Serouel
(400 mgs).
I am taking 2 classes: Docuent Prccessing and Acces
Document Processing is typing, typing forms, and a lot of proofreading.
A few times, I froze and didn't remember how to type. Proofreading is
difficult fo me. We are tested on theory and I have dificulty.
Acess is very difficult for me. I read the book and follow the steps to
try to create what is shown in the book. We have a test every week on
theory and that is very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

Hi Mark,

Lithium causes memory problems (so I have been told by my doctor). When
I was at school I had to write everything down. Maybe more than others.
But I pretended I don't have a short term memory. At home I would go
over my notes again and tried to get them into my memory.

Proofreading was one of my major subjects cause that is the biggest
part of the job a legal assistant does. I found having the same
problems as you with this. Are you able to talk to your teacher to get
some extra time. I found this helped me a lot as it took the time
pressure away. Proofreading the best way I found is to read the whole
sentence first and then the words, and then look at the letters only
this way you will catch errors like off or of cause you eyes will
seperate it as words.

I freeze many times in my life and I believe is cause by seroquell. I
think seroquell slows my brain down and keeps me tiered all day. But I
have to deal with it and keep myself on reminding to stay foccused on
what I am doing. And I am on a much lower dosis than you. but I needed
for sleeping and staying calm throughout the day.

In regards to Access I think it's much harder to follow instruction in
a book to get things done than seeing it or doing it. If the book
forgets one step or writes one step different, you are srewed and would
not know how to get ahead. Is there any possibility to work with your
classmates on projects. If not if you want you can E-mail me and I may
be able to help you out. I worked with Access for a long time, and
liked it too. :)

now I'll better get ready for work.

greetings
HappyPolarBear