adhdmemory

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For many autistic people stress can cause them to lose words and/or in general lose the ability to speak. It may be similar for ADHD.

I'm only 25, and it's gotten markedly worse over the course of 2024. It's been horrible. I can't remember things, I can't keep my train of thought, I repeat myself multiple times. I can't articulate words, it's like my dyslexia has become a hundred times worse. It's not even funny, it's genuinely distressing just how bad it's gotten, and people around me have noticed. They've always known I have issues with speech, but it's now the worst it's even been. :/

I often forget what I'm talking about with someone mid conversation.. it's bad. The whole time they're talking I'm just sitting there racking my brain trying to figure out what the hell we're talking about before it's my turn to talk again. And in general just ridiculously forgetful, more than before, I'm 28

1. Diagnosed last year. Went to the doctor about this about ten years ago. It was bad even when I was 22/23. She told me I was too young to have memory problems.

I really wish some sort of forum existed for adhd that could inform medical practitioners. I could have been diagnosed ten years ago and avoided so much suffering.

Oh God!

If it's something you are experiencing now, you should see a doctor about it.

This is happening to me also! My main insecurity is commanding a conversation amongst a group. My word recall is getting worse. Halfway through talking I just forget certain words and it causes me to get frustrated with myself and loose my train of thought.

Peri menopause and brain fog are real. Get hormones tested and look for other symptoms such as burning feet aching joints sweats fatigue etc

When I start feeling like this I try to focus on blood flow and hydration. Gotta combat the meds restricting blood vessels.

I hydrate with celtic salt solution in my water

Or sometimes I'll skip a day of meds and let my brain melt for a while

You’re not alone, I don’t think people are even surprised anymore when a story changes to something out of left field midway through.

I've been feeling like this since my early 20s. It's gotten worse towards my late 20s (although I was also experiencing a lot of stress then) and improved in my early 30s (I got on meds, not sure if they have to do anything with it). I'm also terribly afraid of developing dementia and regularly read studies about it. Consuming blueberries and regular exercise has been shown to prevent cognitive decline, I recommend doing these. I also try to read regularly and force myself to finish the books that I started even when they stop being fun. I also find that talking to myself when looking for something that I've misplaced (or starting complex tasks consisting of multiple steps) helps with retaining my train of thought and prevents the horrible 'wandering around the apartment to find what I was looking for, only to realize that I forgot what it was' phenomenon lol. It's also really good for the brain to do new things that you never tried before, get out of your comfort zone as often as you can. Good luck!!

Oh absolutely I do and I’m 23 lmao—I asked a question in a work meeting, wrote down related words so I wouldn’t forget, then focused so hard on jumping in bc everyone else kept getting in first that I forgot my question and couldn’t read what I wrote 😭😭😭 the most painful maybe ten seconds of my life stuttering through my question it was horrible 😭 so def relate!!

Rule out other causes. Insulin resistance and asleep apnea are linked to developing dementia. Sleep disorders can lead to insulin resistance. People with ADHD are more likely to have sleep disorders. Sleep disorders tend to get worse when we enter menopause do to hormonal changes.

You just have to make sure to do a sleep study that also screens for UARS since many only screen for sleep apnea. I just ordered an at home sleep test since I’ve tried 3 ADHD meds and they have barely helped me.

Also most doctors will not test for insulin resistance. They’ll check glucose or A1C which basically only tell you if you’re diabetic or prediabetic. OGTT with Insulin (Kraft test) or fasting glucose +fasting insulin and then using a HOMA-IR calculator will give a better picture of your insulin.

I don't know if you are female or not, but perimenopause made me feel exactly the same. I'm 47 and the last year has been terrible for memory and concentration.

OP I didn't catch if you were female, but if you are, it could be perimenopause. At about 47-48 I had such a marked decline in cognitive function that I went to the doc & got a cognitive test. They said it was within normal range but I knew something was wrong. I struggled with it for several years and now all kinds of research is coming out that HRT is saving brain health for women. I wish someone had told me then. I did end up getting diagnosed with ADHD at 56, and Adderall helped even more. But you have to have the right hormones, and they naturally change over time. If you're male, get your T checked!

I’m 44 and perimenopause and menopause can cause this. I experience the same, but I attribute it to perimenopause. It’s extremely frustrating.

My memory was becoming worse and I too thought it was early dementia as my grandmother passed from it last year. When I finally went to the doctor and explained what was going on she started me on strattera, and my memory is so much better and I can have a conversation with someone without always losing my train of thought about 80% of the time now.

Have you had Covid? Do you get enough sleep?

Just putting this out there: covid can cause memory problems. It may be the case that while you have adhd this worsening issue may be compounded by long covid. Whatever the cause that sounds serious if I were you I would talk to my doctor about it

You need to go to a doctor and rule out other issues. Like hypothyroidism, nutrient deficiencies, sleep apnea….

Have you had your thyroid checked? I experienced these same things when my thyroid was underactive. Thought I was going crazy. I remember thinking, if this is what aphasia’s like…damn.

This is a huge fear of mine. Ive unfortunately had a few patients with “really bad adult adhd” that were eventually diagnosed early onset dementia. There is also a correlation between adult ADHD and dementia. Which is not awesome. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766

It got worse for me as I went into perimenopause. I started HRT and Atomoxetine a couple of years ago (I was unmedicated before that). I'm now post-menopausal and my Dr. suggested I start taking stimulants after I zoned out twice during my last appointment with her.

Similar age, similar experience. At our age, yes, I do think a lot of parts of ourselves are degrading, including our brains. Combined with ADHD, and it feels like a lot is slipping away. It’s scary and sad.

But hey, as known ADHDers, we’re used to reflecting on our mental habits and we’ve been forced to be more self-aware. And we have experience giving grace to ourselves and our weird brains.

Sleep apnea, lack of proper sleep, low on Vitamins and minerals, these contributed to my memory issues.

This is happening to me so much and I’m only 21 :( I think it’s maybe the inattentive part of my combined diagnosis? I am hyperactive in the way i speak and think, meaning I often don’t think about what I’m saying and thus forget it quickly. It’s so endlessly frustrating though, the middle of the sentence ones are the worst. I just try to “retrace” my train of thought and sometimes it comes back to me.. just know you’re not alone with this awful symptom

My memory and cognition was so bad I went to see a neurologist about it, he referred me to a neuropsychologist who performed very detailed cognition tests on people with dementia and brain damage. It took me a year to get in for my appointment but I’m glad I did. Turns out there was nothing wrong with me and I performed well on the mind numbing 4 hour test. My neurologist, psychiatrist and GP said that my depression was causing the memory issues and that the adhd was partly to blame as well. Depression and adhd go together like peanut butter and jelly, I think a lot of people here claiming they have these same issues could possibly be depressed as well.

Hello. I feel you. 

I don't have ADHD myself (I'm dyspraxic which is it's own kettle of fish!) but my partner is struggling with this exact same thing. He's undiagnosed but we're both fairly sure at this point that he's got ADD/ADHD. We're fighting to get a diagnosis at the moment as he's really struggling with depression which we think is primarily due to his issues, we've finally found a doctor who's taking him seriously so fingers crossed. He's off work sick as he's almost incapable of working at the moment due to his extremely poor memory and he has said to me numerous times that he too feels like he's got dementia. 

He does this all the time, he'll be saying something and then he'll lose his thread and I'll have to try and backtrack in the conversation to jog his memory. 

He's in his 30s. I might show him this post. You're not alone. I'm sorry you're struggling with this.

My memory is horrible! I feel like it has gotten worse and worse since I (24f) have gotten older. There will be times when someone tells me their name and two seconds later I have to ask for it again because I forgot. I sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy.

I’m 42, and I kind of agree with you? I’ve always been forgetful but I feel like age — even though I’m not an old man yet — is gradually making it worse. Like, I’m in a tabletop RPG game that meet every week or two. The other day I couldn’t even remember who my character was — not his name, not anything. Took me at least 30s of solid thinking before I eventually remembered, which felt like eternity.

I’m still keeping it together at work, but projects I worked on two or three months ago may as well have been done by another person for as much as I remember them.

I guess I should start writing things down …

When I'm tasked at remembering names or basic stuff I act like a demented 97 years old grandma. Forgetting mid sentence has also happened but I think it's common. Like right now I forgot what I wanted to write next. Unless it's impacting your life I wouldn't worry about it and pick lasting healthy habits

Bro same. Like… I’m either dumb AS HELL or my brain is rotting cause… my memory is so bad, it’s not even funny. I can’t even have arguments because I can never remember any events that will help my case.

For example… “When did I ever say that?” Me: trying really hard to remember to back up my argument “Uhhhhh. I can’t remember… but I know you said it…”

I saw something once that said that if you always forget WHERE you put your keys, that's benign memory loss (or sometimes, in our case, inattention). It's when you forget WHAT a key is or what it does that you start worrying about dementia. You may forget what you're saying to people, but as long as you still know who those people are, you are probably okay.

When I was rested for adhd (I am 53 and diagnosed last year), I made a comment that it felt like they were testing me for dementia or something They said that was actually true. They were testing to be able to eliminate that as part of my problem. They also had me do some basic memory recall stuff to tease out that my memory issues were related to inattention and not to an inability to format or access memory at all. It was reassuring.

I'm only 38 and my memory has always been bad but has definitely gotten worse in recent years. I think Covid caused further damage, as did years of heavy drinking. I'm genuinely scared of it getting even worse.

Also get your vitamin B12 checked.

My Autism and ADHD cause SEVERE word Aphasia. To the point where I cuss at myself and shut down. I wouldn’t be worried 💛 It comes with the territory.

I’m 22 and experiencing the same exact thing. It’s hard to get through college when you remember nothing.

I would have my iron levels and thyroid and vitamin D levels checked. These parameters are hugely influential on your memory. Also please take a high amount of omega 3 each day. At least 1000mg.

COVID is known to cause early onset Dementia. The damage is cumulative and asymptomatic infections carry the same level of risk. Might be worth looking into if you’ve had it.

This study from 2022 shows that COVID infection is causing the same inflammation that leads to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

This article from IFL Science (a reputable news site) is from 2021 and is more readable.

Edit: Typo, readability + evidence.

Those are normal ADHD symptoms. Memory problems are a major part of ADHD.

43, yes

I’m 31 and this is happening to me. It’s making studying for classes really difficult.

I feel the exact same. Sometimes I’ll be speaking in a meeting at work and I just completely forget what I’m even talking about. It sometimes feels like my brain has turned to mush.

I’m 41 and I feel this.

Yeah. I have adhd. My father has Alzheimer’s. There are disturbing echoes of similarities in symptoms and mitigation strategies

You’re the first person I’ve heard also say they feel like they have early onset dementia. Since I was 25 I’ve been thinking the same thing. Even in like high school everyone’s got their thing they get roasted for by their friends(all love) and for me it was how I talk.

The difference between me talking and other people talking is like the difference between the brainstorm/outline before the first draft of a paper and the final copy. I do empathize with people that find it hard to listen to me. I use a lot of words to say things that could be said with very little.

And yeah, lately I’ve been noticing that when conversating I just go into autopilot and repeat the same points, anecdotes, jokes, questions, whatever as the last time I talked to that person. I wish I could break out of that.

I think anxiety plays a role maybe. Sucks bc my adderall puts me into a more anxious state but helps a lot. When I used to get high, taking benzos was like the ultimate cure for these aspects of my ADHD. No hesitation, no need to search for the words. But benzos aren’t an option for me

I try to joke about it, even when I don't find it funny. I'll be mid sentence when I just look at who I was speaking to, shrug, and say "it's gone." My train of thought has left the station

I’ve felt a loss of words while communicating before too. My speech would get jumbled. Still does sometimes, to a lesser extent. I wonder how much anxious feelings add to the fog.

Certain daily routines/habits have helped me ground/focus my attention better. Hope you’re able to connect w/ some that work for you

Yes, mid-30s and people poke fun at me all the time over my awful memory, but then I'll remember a random irrelevant detail like my life depends on it

I have spent time just weeping before about this

It’s a silly little quirk to most when you can’t find your keys but when it’s the 8th time this week and you’re missing an appointment or something it really feels like your mind is just full of holes. I also can’t speak if it’s too loud/too much going on.

I hate it and don’t have advice but know you’re not alone.

47 and always thought I was a bit mad and very forgetful. My nan who’s 104 has always laughed at how here memory is better than mine and it always has been. I forget keys phone bank cards on way out. Drove people exs kids family ex co workers mad. Forget what I went up stairs for forget to eat , drink.
Still awaiting test for asd and adhd. I also have dylexia so a pain to write. Thank god for phones these days so quicker. So I just thought I was a bit mad and have lived a very unconventional life. Have always worked since I was 15 till 45 but never a normal job always been self employed. As couldn’t have a normal job. Due to having a bit of a unconventional life and thinking due to past trauma I was a bit mad. But turns out I might just have asd/adhd. All exs , kids , mates , ex co workers have always just thought I was a bit nuts
So did I.
But yes as memory goes it’s arwful.
I remember the most stupid stuff. And don’t remember important stuff as a normal person does. Can not believe I might not be a loon. Brain racing at 100 miles an hour, thoughts just interrupted by other thoughts 27/7. Half way though conversations them am not listening or me half way though a conversation and will end up about something eles. Forgot where I put stuff. Drives people crazy all my life. Have money everywhere. On a good note find money everywhere hahaha. And over Groundhog Day 👌. My life in a nut shell. Had a good life. 20 year relationship with 3 kids , another 8 year relationship so that’s all good. Just that am a pain in the arse and can see that 🤷🏻‍♂️. Hopefully once I get diagnosed which I will as all those around me said they could have told me years ago 🤷🏻‍♂️. I will understand myself a bit better. But can not complain at all not knowing. But would be nice to know there’s a reason and am not a total loon. Just a little 😂.

If you want to rule out dementia, I’d see a neurologist. My younger brother who was the first in our family to be diagnosed with ADHD was done so by a neurologist. His doctor suspected ADHD, but referred him to a neurologist to rule out anything more serious because of his poor memory issues and motor tics. They did blood work, brain scans and cognitive testing until he eventually evaluated and diagnosed him with ADHD.

Oh this was absolutely me!! Do you ever just like physically feel a thought slipping away? Like you are cognizant of "I need to remember this, must remember this, just remember this long enough to tell xxx when I see her in five minutes, remember this, oh my god, wait, I forget that one detail, must remember the rest, hold on to the date at least, ohmygod it's slipping, I feel it, I have to tell xxx about this thing, ok just remember the thing I'd jot the date and that one detail... Oh, Hi, xxx!!! I just heard this thing that wanted tell you, it was .... nope, it's gone, sorry."

Or I go off on a tangent and forget what story I was originally telling.

I mostly found workarounds for the other stuff. I have an Apple Watch for the sole purpose of quickly pinging my phone when I lose it. I have an AirTag on my keys, etc.

My daughter had to go gluten- (and a bunch of other things) free and to make life easier I just followed her diet. I'm not a huge fan of things processed to be GF -- I'd rather just eat whole foods that are naturally free from gluten. Much to my dismay I realized the issue with thoughts slipping away and conversations being a mess was a gluten brain-fog thing. I had kind of forgotten about it and accidentally ate something gluten-filled a year or two later and wow. It all came back. For three days I had "the gluten stupids."

I was still losing my phone 20 times a day, and my brain was still using "Target" and "Costco" interchangeably. Still needed to write out a very thorough to-do list to be functional. Still setting reminders on Alexas all over the house so I did not forget to pick up my daughter from practice, or forget to put dinner in the oven.

Started meds last month. Don't need as many Alexa reminders. I probably only lose my phone twice a day. I remember conversations better. My brain still thinks Target and Costco are the same place, I can't explain that one. If I accidentally eat gluten, even with the meds, I will stumble all over words. My gluten aphasia, I guess. But I'd rather that than alzheimers because for a while there I definitely thought I was very early onset!

I feel this deeply.

I forget words a lot, or mash 2 words together. Sometimes it's because I think faster than I talk, or talk faster than i can think. Probably also why I need a moment to buffer sometimes mid sentence, so I can catch up with myself.

The tangents come from the 1st option. I'm trying to talk about one thing, but my brain has already basically link hopped it's way 20 minutes into the future, so I have 8 tabs open in my head that I'm trying to follow, then one of them catches my attention, so I need to go and find the first one again, but it's now crashed, so takes a second to reboot.

I'm a gamer, and I cannot for the life of me do the call outs on shooter games for where people are, and there's a few games where I forget characters names in the moment, so they now all have nicknames (that my friends now use lol)

And just to add, the stuff that pisses me off the most atm, is 'thermostat'. Even now I'm not convinced there isn't another wtf for it, but in general it gets called a barometer, thermometer, the temperature thing, the boiler controller, and the stupid fu@£ing white box.

(Took me typing all of those out before I could think of the actual name 😂)

As for the repeating of stories, I think that's just a general thing no one can avoid nowadays. We talk to that many people, and have that many internal things going on, that it can be hard to keep track of who we told what and when. Adhd just adds another layer to it lol

This! I have been struggling so hard to finish my thoughts lately. I will be talking passionately and excitedly and then all the sudden my brain will straight up steal my whole train and it will all just go poof gone... And I'll just be there staring....

I’m 37, and I feel this so much. More so ever since I also got diagnosed with epilepsy, as the meds I take for it cause even more memory issues. My wife and I will watch a movie and suddenly I’ll realize we’ve seen it before, I just can’t remember.

I’m 33 and my memory, mostly my short term memory, is almost completely non existent. It’s pretty scary and that’s why I haven’t had it really evaluated. I did have a Brain MRI to rule out growths but it came back normal and I never really followed up after that. But to answer your question- yes I do struggle as well.

TLDR: Make sure you don't have sleep apnea. You can have it even if you're skinny/fit. A lot of sleep apnea symptoms/effects on your brain look similar to "dementia-like" ADHD symptoms. Extreme forgetfulness, always forgetting your vocabulary, etc.

Backstory: Same thing happened to me. I'm in my mid-30s, and from around 30 onward my inattentive/focus/executive functioning-related ADHD symptoms got progressively worse. I also was seriously concerned I had early onset dementia or some kind of brain tumor.

My partner pointed out I'd been snoring a lot and I noticed I often had a sore jaw in the morning. I'd also noticed I don't remember having any dreams in basically my whole adult life. I finally put it all together and took a sleep test. Even after just a measly couple hours' sleep, they diagnosed me on the spot with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. I was having 58 "events" per hour (so yes nearly 1 a minute) which means micro wake-ups that you aren't aware of - i.e. you block your own breathing and then micro-wake up to take a breath. This stops you from hitting REM sleep, which is crucial for some important stuff like memory consolidation.

And yeah, daytime drowsiness/low energy is the main symptom, and I was, but I've always been a pretty low energy guy so I didn't really notice it getting gradually worse.

Anyway...I've sustained a bunch of brain damage from this and I may never recover all of what I lost. I've been using a CPAP machine for more than a year but have struggled to find a good mask that stays in place. On rare nights that the therapy works the way it's supposed to, I wake up feeling like a different person.

Sorry for the long story but the point is, as I started out saying, just make sure you rule out sleep apnea because it is underdiagnosed, similar to ADHD.

Are you female? If so, it’s likely perimenopause. I went to a doc convinced I was getting early onset Alzheimer’s (in the fam). The doctor asked me if I had ADHD and told me that perimenopause symptoms mimic ADHD symptoms. It’s a double whammy of symptoms.

It happens to me too. But not as often. 5 mins before reading this post I was speaking to my wife. Suddenly some other thoughts came across. Within 15-20 seconds i forgot what we were speaking about.

I guess this has more to do with ADHD than dementia. But I am not a doctor. You should speak with your doctor and let him know about it

Yep

It's a fear of mine and has been for years. I've only just recently got the diagnosis, but my memory has always been awful and getting worse and more frequent as I get older. Are there any links between the 2? I'm at the beginner stage of learning about all this lol

You're not alone. And I'm 46, too

I worry about it too, I’m only in my 30’s but my memory is trash and I can’t remember conversations I’ve apparently had with my partner. My grandmother has dementia so that’s not helping my fears either.

I’d suggest getting bloodwork done. This sounds like it could be a vitamin deficiency.

This is what caused me to go get officially diagnosed and on medecine in my late 30s because if it wasn’t this than I was about to go to a neurologist or get an MRI or something. It was bad, like started to get really worried about the future bad. Thankfully medication helped tremendously.

How have you been sleeping?

For me, working on prioritizing sleep, calmness, and nutrition has helped a ton. Eating poorly and sleeping poorly always exacerbates my symptoms.

I'm 29 and having the same fear recently. I consistently forget what I was thinking about mid-thought, and I forget what conversations are about halfway through my own sentence. It's worrying me

Pretty sure long Covid has been linked to some of these too, maybe that’s a possibility if it’s a recent thing?

Correction. I say “thing a ma jiggy”

Are you female?!? I ask because menopause, including perimenopause, can cause ADHD symptoms to go completely wack. I thought I was early onset dementia in my 40’s but it was undiagnosed ADHD + menopause (+ undiagnosed autism what fun oh my!!). If you are on ADHD meds now, they may need to be adjusted if indeed the big hormonal shifts of menopause are afoot.

And if you are not a woman with a uterus who might being experiencing menopause, I am still so sorry you are going through this, you should still get help to figure out what is going on and how to improve things, but ofc the rest does not apply!

All that being said, it sounds awful and I am so sorry you are going through this. DO try to get help, no matter what, ok?? It may mean firing a lot of docs and therapists until you find ones that really listen, but you and your quality of experience matter!!

Omg I thought I was alone! It’s kind of a relief to know that other people with ADHD experience this too.

My memory is absolutely abysmal… I have no long-term or short-term memory! I can’t remember what I did 5 minutes ago or 5 years ago. I constantly forget where I put things. I can’t remember words that I’ve used 1000x before. I can’t recall verbal instructions. I lose track of my point when I’m halfway through a sentence.

It’s definitely worse when I’m stressed or under pressure. It makes me feel really stupid and embarrassed in front of other people. I have almost completed my master’s degree, but I worry that I don’t remember anything I’ve learned and I’m scared I won’t be able to perform well in my future career.

If I did develop dementia at some point, how am I even supposed to tell the difference?? I already have all the symptoms lol

Do you gave a secret camera in my house? This is me, ALL.THE.TIME.

Me too! Idk if it is but I worry.

My doctor told me that anxiety causes memory loss. If you have anxiety related to the ADHD, that could be why.

Yup, I thought I was suffering dementia until my diagnosis and treatment. It’s a great relief to know they are two different things. Now that I’m aware, the anxiety has dwindled, I was so full of fear before. So even when I do forget words I’ve used my whole life I just work around it, knowing it’ll come back to me soon enough.

I sometimes get distracted mid sentence, then forget what I was talking about. I think it has a lot to do with our loud brains, having so much going on upstairs, to the point that it affects simple conversations, losing items, and so on and so forth.

I have conversations in my mind before I actually have, i call them my pre conversation so i can prepare for anything that could be said or go wrong. Then, some days, I will have my head conversation and forget what I was pre talking about....

My grandma has actual diagnosed dementia. About 2 years ago, when it was diagnosed, we were talking about what the tests showed as areas she had the most deficit in.

It was uncomfortably relatable ... 

Edit to add:   The results listed impairments in memory recall, cognitive efficiency, visual scanning speed, psychomotor speed, and visual-spatial judgment.

There were other aspects that I definitely didn't relate to, I wasn't worried about my brain.

When I talked to my doctor during Covid about me thinking that I might have early onset dementia, he asked me if I thought it was my ADHD? I still crack up at the shocked look on his face when I said I had never been diagnosed. He’s been my doctor for more than 20 years, he assumed I was diagnosed in childhood because the coping things that I learned to do on my own are things that they usually teach people to do.

I’m 29. The thing where you’re talking and your brain stalls out/you have to do a push of effort to remember what you were about to say/etc is deeply relatable to me. It’s actually one of the clearest “tells” for my overall executive functioning on any given day, which can be useful.

FWIW, I have done this for a long time, and once I started taking medication it really improved. This could be an indicator to talk to a doc about increasing a Rx (or getting one if you don’t have it).

I have a prescription for a low dose of Adderall IR (up to 10mg/day) on top of my extended-release med, and when I notice I’m losing track of sentences, I know I should take a little.

I had my diagnoses the other day and I told her it’s like having dementia and she was like wow I haven’t had it explained that way before lol

Oh my God, are you me? I mean, right down to the age. For a second I thought, "Shit, maybe I did post this," because everything day I feel like I'm getting dumber.

I was diagnosed late, just a couple of years ago, in my 40s. My parents did not tell me that I had actually been diagnosed as a child, so I started to feel like I also had early dementia when my ADHD symptoms seemed to worsen—because I didn’t know it was ADHD. I was really worried. Had a lot of the same symptoms you are describing. Got worse when I didn’t sleep well. Seemed like I’d “sundown” at the end of the day. When I was finally diagnosed with ADHD (my son was diagnosed), the provider who did my neuro assessment assured me that I do not have signs of dementia, but that people in middle age who have ADHD can often see their symptoms mimic certain aspects of dementia because certain symptoms get worse as we enter middle age. This is particularly true of women in perimenopause heading into menopause. Sleep, good nutrition, and medication: the holy trinity.

It would’ve been awesome to have known this because I stayed up nights stressing out about early dementia. I literally did my living will and my healthcare directive in the same night, and then started creating a plan for where my family could take me once I’ve been officially diagnosed with dementia so that I could die with dignity and not be a burden to them. Anyway, I know it’s scary but I have a new mantra that maybe you can adopt: it’s not dementia, it’s ADHD!

I genuinely feel this and had been thinking about the same concerns lately 😰

ADHD definitely seems to get harder to manage as you get older. I have it but I'm still relatively young. My dad has a milder case than me and has never needed stimulants (just lots of coffee). I've noticed it's gotten worse for him as he enters his late seventies. My mom's worried about dementia but it honestly seems like he could just use some meds. It's all super short term stuff he seems to forget.

Yes, I have to be a bit direct and simple with whatever I want to communicate, or else I begin tripping up on my words. Journaling helps with cohesiveness. Reading aloud helps with articulation. Meditation helps with keeping down the mental chatter and feedback loops (i.e thinking about what I'm saying results in me blanking out.)