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Original poster

I'm losing/substituting words - but it's not early onset dementia is it?

85 replies

ForgotwhatIcameinherefor · 09/01/2023 09:25

I took my DF for a test a while back and I would have been ok with his questions: children's names and ages, name animals for a minute, who is the current PM, USA President, a recent news story etc
But for several years now more and more words are dropping from my memory. I want to use a word and just can't remember it. Other times often a wrong word just comes out eg "Get your sandwiches on" instead of shoes. I usually know straight away I said the wrong word and then sometimes take a couple more attempts to correct myself.
Is this common? What's it called?
Thanks and love to anyone who is familiar xxx

OP posts:
Mrsherdwick · 09/01/2023 11:06

I had this. My vit b12 was really low. I’m on injections now and feel so much better.

TheIsaacs · 09/01/2023 11:09

I get this very badly with anxiety. The more anxious I am, the more I drop words or describe things wrong. Are you feeling anxious? Or maybe it’s hormonal as suggested above. It was described to me as a sort of pseudo dementia brought on by hormones and chemical changes in the brain due to anxiety and depression so can see why it happens in menopause too.

AnyRandomName · 09/01/2023 11:09

I had this when EBF an enormous baby. The GP said she was essentially sucking all the nutrients out of me (obv she said it in a more medical fashion, this is my paraphrase) and to try a bottle at bedtime, and told me to take a good quality multivitamin.

It worked.

inloveandmarried · 09/01/2023 11:27

This happens to me. Worse since peri menopause but I expect I'm menopausal now.

I found that mime helped alongside single words. Weird.

But if I'm explaining to my child where the marmite is and can't find the words to describe its location. I can mime the position in the cupboard alongside single descriptors. I feel very silly but it works.

I wish my word finding would come back.

TabbyM · 09/01/2023 11:31

Word finding - this can be a MS symptom

RedCarsGoFaster · 09/01/2023 11:32

Aphasia. I'm another one who gets it before, during and after a migraine. It's a good early sign for me. Can last days.

In your case, have you any other symptoms? Are you of an age for perimenopause?

MiniHouse · 09/01/2023 11:33

Uh oh, my friend has it in her teens and now my husband!

It could be: tiredness, stress, menopause, dementia, probably other things too.

CrocodilesCry · 09/01/2023 11:49

I could have written this. I’m booking a doctors appointment this week.
I don’t know if it’s stress and anxiety or peri. Or post covid issues. But I feel like I’m on autopilot, I have no concentration and feel overwhelmed as well as forgetting words/forgetting what I’m doing and having short term memory issues.

Toomanysleepycats · 09/01/2023 11:56

Wow, interesting to know about the menopausal link.

I (used) to have this a lot. In my case I would just blurt out the wrong word then realise it was wrong. But the wrong word always had a connection to the right word.

So I’d say washing machine instead of dishwasher (large white appliance in kitchen), or summer house instead of greenhouse (separate building in garden), attic instead of cellar, etc.

But as I was reading the thread it occurred to me that I rarely do this now. I am now post menopausal, so this must be it.

Richtea67 · 09/01/2023 12:00

Cognitive fatigue can cause this. Could be due to post viral syndrome (as others have suggested covid), ME/CFS, menopause, stress, anxiety etc... worth discussing with GP if you have concerns.

SheWentWest · 09/01/2023 12:20

The other day I told my husband I wanted ‘some of those tasty cylindrical things’ which was the me best description I could muster when the word ‘spring roll’ went awol for a good few minutes

igor · 09/01/2023 12:35

Happens all the time. I have FND and take medication for epilepsy, add in peri menopause and it's a fun outcome 😬 I also suffer with swallowing problems (globus) when its really rough along with disassociation

verdantverdure · 09/01/2023 12:42

I have this when sleep deprived or stressed but if it was more constant I'd want to get checked out I think.

LynneBenfield · 09/01/2023 12:52

FurryDandelionSeekingMissile · 09/01/2023 09:38

Happens to me with certain medications (particularly a couple of anti-epileptic drugs), and in the lead-up to and during a migraine attack.

Same. I’ve had problems with word retrieval for years but mine is related to medications and my known neurological condition.

Chances are, yours is nothing to worry about but worth getting it checked out to rule out anything sinister.

AmazonsFuckedUpFreeMusicFeature · 09/01/2023 12:53

I have it and thought it's because I am multilingual. Forget the word in all if the languages always!

I think maybe you just have lots on your mind. It happens to me when I am under longer stress.

shewolfsout · 09/01/2023 12:55

Stress, tiredness, hormones, brain fog.
I get this worst when I'm about to have a migraine, but do it constantly anyway

MrsMikeHeck · 09/01/2023 12:57

This is happening to my Mum. It started a year ago and has got progressively worse. She has asked her GP to refer to University College Hospital where their neurology department specialises in something called Primary Progressive Aphasia.

If you feel that it’s more than just peri menopause, it may be worth speaking to your GP. PPA is very rare, but it’s worth ruling out. It may also be worse having an MRI to rule out unnoticed mini strokes, or getting a speech and language referral if it starts to get worse.

Very best of luck with this

Chersfrozenface · 09/01/2023 13:01

I've done this for years, on and off. I blame having to think of too many things at once. Last time it happened was this Christmas, when I was doing most of the organising and thinking work.

Basically, my brain's processing systems get overloaded.

dizzydizzydizzy · 09/01/2023 13:03

I had that. GP a told me to increase my HRT dose and that sorted it out.

WolfFoxHare · 09/01/2023 13:03

I’m blaming this on the menopause.

shewolfsout · 09/01/2023 13:03

I think it might be a result of carrying most of the mental load

WolfFoxHare · 09/01/2023 13:04

I’m B12 deficient too so it could be that.

2bazookas · 09/01/2023 13:10

I do the same. Also, I'm losing facial recognition and forgetting names of casual new acquaintances.

This is a big improvement from 4 decades ago when as a young tired mum I totally blanked the name of my best friend while trying to introduce her...

AnnaTortoiseshell · 09/01/2023 13:12

This happens to me all the time and I’m early 30s, have two young kids so definitely not menopause related! I just assumed it was one of those things…

Maverickess · 09/01/2023 13:25

I do this, just lose a word I need mid sentence and stare at the person I'm talking to blankly because nothing will connect from brain to mouth. My memory is shocking, things are just gone without a trace, and my decision making is decidedly dodgy at times.
I've had about 3 viruses recently, flu/heavy colds and it's been worse and I'm almost 44 so I guess it could be peri related? My periods are regular but barely noticeable these days, with about 2 days at most of light flow and physical symptoms non existent just about but the emotional/hormonal ones are much worse.

I'm hesitant to visit the GP because I've a long history of depression and everything is usually put down to that (even my infected gall bladder and the pain/sickness was attributed to IBS until I ended up having a scan in a&e) but I know those symptoms and this is different, I don't feel depressed more frustrated at my brain not working properly and feel like an incompetent fool a lot of the time.