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zinnia
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i am a huge reader. i read for pleasure. i read for my job. i read to my kids. i love to read and usually have 3 or four books going at a time. problem is, the meds make it difficult for me. i don't even know how to explain it. i can't take lithium because with that, i can't read and write and all. i now take abilify and it's better, especially since pdoc added adderall for concentration, but it's still not good. i pick up a book or a magazine and i start looking at it and i just can't get "into it". i can't even make myself keep turning the pages. it's getting to be a real problem for me. i need to read a lot to work and i need to read because it's something i do for me. has anyone else experienced this problem and if so, what has helped? Well behaved women rarely make history.
Thou canst not disturb a flower without the troubling of a star...from "Troubling a Star", by Madelaine L'Engle...we all affect one another by our words and actions...it is our choice whether to do so purposefully and positively, or carelessly and hurtfully...may we all bring to one another the peace that we seek...
"if you want others to be happy, practice compassion. if you want to be happy, practice compassion" the Dahli Laama
Peace-
Zinnia
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DreamChaser
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Z - I could have written your exact post. I love reading for pleasure and to keep my mind sharp. I think this lack of ability to read started about 3 years ago. At first, it showed up as an inablity to concentrate on the matieral. I found I had to read the same lines over and over again just to remember them from one minute to the next. Then, I just could not get into it. Now, I don't even want to pick up the book. I would really like to read some of the longer threads here, but I just can't follow them. I take Abilify, Lamictal, Trileptal and Lunesta. I don't have an answer. I, too, would really like to hear if anything has helped some of you with this problem. Thanks, DC |
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zinnia
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wow!!! i really thought it was just me! thanks, dream! let's see if anyone comes up with something good so we can go back to being readers Well behaved women rarely make history.
Thou canst not disturb a flower without the troubling of a star...from "Troubling a Star", by Madelaine L'Engle...we all affect one another by our words and actions...it is our choice whether to do so purposefully and positively, or carelessly and hurtfully...may we all bring to one another the peace that we seek...
"if you want others to be happy, practice compassion. if you want to be happy, practice compassion" the Dahli Laama
Peace-
Zinnia
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norma
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My son is a voracious reader and that really bothered him too...he makes himself read a chapter a night to keep up his reading...I can remember this being a problem when I took thorazine years age...really bobothered me...short term memory...was also a problem. If you have to do it as part of your livelyhood or for pleasure that is a bummer...maybe it will level out. I wish I had the answer for this one...maybe some others will...hope it gets better "In the time of your life, live-so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but, shall smile to the infinite variety and mystery of it." William Saroyan
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kimminentdanger
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So far, it seems like the major opinion is that meds diminish your ability to concentrate... I haven't been on Lamictal long enough to be able to tell if that's the case for me, but my doc said the Rx would IMPROVE my concentration & focus.... (one of my chief complaints is the whole lack of focus, easily distracted thing WITHOUT MEDS) but now I'm wondering if she was feeding me a line  I know each of us reacts differently to different things, but still. Hmm... I guess I'll have to wait and see on that one.Zinnia - You know what I do when I feel like getting some reading done and can't seem to focus? (This is gonna sound so corny or maybe even creepy; but it really works for me  ): I get completely under the covers in bed with a flashlight (the way I did when I was a kid sneaking a read after bedtime) or I light a candle and read in the semi-dark. For some reason, it seems like dim lighting helps. I know it sounds silly, but give it a try and let me know how you make out.... Post edited by: kimminentdanger, at: 05/08/2008 09:56 "Insanity destroys reason, but not wit." - Nathaniel Emmons
"Been a bad boy since diapers and Gerbers; my first words were bleep bleep and curse curse." - Eminem
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DreamChaser
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Hiya Kim, I honestly don't believe it is the Lamictal. I have only been on Lamictal for about one year, and my problem with reading started long before that. Hang in there with the meds. Lamictal has been a good one for me. It has made such a vast improvement in my overall mental health that I would fight like a wolf if they tried to take it away. DC |
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kimminentdanger
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Thanks DreamChaser! Hopefully it will work as well for me as it has for you!!! "Insanity destroys reason, but not wit." - Nathaniel Emmons
"Been a bad boy since diapers and Gerbers; my first words were bleep bleep and curse curse." - Eminem
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kateholland78
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Zinnia, I had the same problem. I too love to read and was totally bummed when all of the sudden I just couldn't do it anymore. Not only could I not get into it, I had to read lines over and over and couldn't comprehend what I was reading - and I scored a perfect score on the reading comprehension part of my ACTs in high school. I think the problem was overmedication. Once my doc cut down on some of the meds, my ability to read, and better yet, enjoy reading, returned. I guess I do still struggle with some non-fiction - like, I tried to read the book "Touched with Fire" about manic depression and the artistic temperment, but I kept putting it down b/c I just couldn't understand all the research and technical jargon. Maybe they just have you on too much? Post edited by: kateholland78, at: 05/08/2008 11:36 In learning to know other things, and other minds, we become more intimately acquainted with ourselves, and are to ourselves better worth knowing.
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carmen33
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Hey Z, sorry to hear that you are having this problem, and I know with your work it is a big issue, perhaps you can talk with your doctor about a adjustment, I know that a lot of the folks here talk about the racing thoughts, I wonder if maybe the lack of ability to concentrate/read is something like that... I too am/was a avid reader, would get in to a book so deep I could not put it down till it was done if that meant staying up all night.. now sometimes I have trouble reading the instructions on a TV dinner.. disorganized is the only way I can think of to describe what is going on in my head at those times... to many thoughts flitting in and out. |
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red1965
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Zinnia, my wife has had problems focusing enough to read too. This is more prominent in the throws of mania. She gets unable to concentrate, stay focused. She is an avid reader, one of those reads the entire book in a day, non stop until it is done, more typical in the hypomanic state with OCD kicked in. WOW CAN SHE READ. What helped specifically??? So much time and so many meds it is hard to remember what helped the most. I agree with others, talk to the doc about what is happening. |
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"for those of us fighting the battle with Bipolar..and for the loved ones who sup..." (emotionalvolcano)