Memory changes at 50 - is this normal?
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Anonymous
| I have been finding that my long term memory is getting worse. I know i have done things but i can actually remember specifics. My family was reminiscing at Easter and I couldn't really remember any of the events they were talking about. And today my sibling was talking about a trip we went on about ten years ago and I couldn't really remember much. I have a couple small memories from the trip and I know we went but she was talking about a day trip / excursion we did that was very memorable for her and I don't remember that day trip at all. I have no problem with functional memory in day to day life, just longer term memory. |
Anonymous
| I don't know. But this has been happening to me for a couple of years now. I'm 55. |
Anonymous
+1 It's very disconcerting! |
Anonymous
+2 It's related to hormone changes, in addition to how your memory may generally function differently than other people. I first realized how hormones affected my memory when my recollection of people's names that I met while being pregnant and events during that time was very sketchy, compared to before and after being pregnant. (3 kids, 3 chunks of vague memories.) Early menopause brought brain fog. Post-menopause has been sharper with HRT, but also not that long, so ... |
Anonymous
| Op here. Good to know I am not alone! I used to have an excellent memory so it is quite disconcerting when I don't recall what I have done in my own life. |
Anonymous
| I’ve always had terrible long term memory. I’m 48. |
Anonymous
| Are you on cholesterol medication? It is a controversial opinion, of some, that this can be a cause. |
Anonymous
I am! Started it in October. Interesting. I will look into that connection. |
Anonymous
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I think if something is 10 years ago and wasn’t an unusual or particularly emotional experience, it’s normal to not remember details. It happens to me especially when my kids bring up a memory of something that happened when they were little. By the time you hit 50, there are a lot of long-term memories competing for storage space. But if you don’t remember pivotal experiences at all, that’s more concerning. If you went to the same beach 5 different times but can’t remember which trip cousin Mike got drunk or which year the drive took 6 hours then that’s not too concerning. Can’t remember specific restaurants from a trip, not a big deal. But if you don’t remember going to Aruba or Paris at all or even attending a big family event, that would be unexpected. I know I was just thinking about my cousin’s wedding 25 years ago and was disturbed that I couldn’t remember anything about her venue. But then I had to remind myself, I went to a lot of weddings!
I think short-term memory issues are actually the ones to worry about. |
Anonymous
| 55 and have no episodes of this at all. My ex had issues like this, though. I’d talk to your primary care physician. |
Anonymous
| This is not normal. You should have a scan done. |
Anonymous
| If you're noticing it and are bothered by it, you should speak to someone. Better it be nothing and you get checked out than it be something and you wait too long. |
Anonymous
| I noticed that it's harder for me to recall things from long term memory after I had a CT scan with Iodine injection to look at my kidneys. I like to daydream and think about things in the past and it just seems like more effort to pull the memories out since I had that injection. |
Anonymous
| My issues were more word finding but they started around 50 and were related to hormones and thyroid. Meds helped but it took years to identify the causes. I’m also finding creatine helpful to my brain as I age. |
Anonymous
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In the late 90s, I met a 3rd cousin my age at a family reunion and we stayed in touch for a few years and visited each other with our parents too. But we both lost touch due to moves, job changes (before consistent emails), marriage, etc.
We’re both 60 now. A few years ago I tried to reconnect with her via facebook (and I was going to be in her area) but instead of friending back, she messaged me to ask who I was and how did I know her! I replied with a long explanation of people, places, and dates but she said she didn’t know me or my parents, yet she hosted us for a lovely turkey dinner once and she’d been to my house too! Scary but her parents both developed dementia. |