Memory Loss

Its more likely to be the result of a combination of the medication you take than the narcolepsy itself although being severly sleep dreprived , which we are , will effect your short term memory

My discussions with many other narcoleptics indicate that all narcoleptics regardless of age suffer from various degrees of memory loss.  My personal experience is no different.  I don't think that narcolepsy has a direct neurological effect on memory, nor do I think it has anything to do with the drugs.  I feel it is connected to the fact of our often not being 100% awake during our "waking" hours.  Simply, a person's ability to remember things is compromised when they are sleepy; the sleepier you are the less likely you are to be able to recall anything in particular.  Similarly, the degree to which a person was "asleep" while doing something also affects their ability to later recall what they were doing.  In summary, I feel that memory loss is not DIRECTLY connected with narcolepsy, but is a instead a secondary effect resulting from persistant sleepiness, i.e. EDS.  It is nonetheless a real thing expeienced by all narcoleptics.

As a person reaches middle age it is normal to begin to experience increasing incidences of temporary specific memory loss, i.e. the inability to summon a particular memory on demand.  In addition it is not at all uncommon for a middle aged person to experience noun aphasia, something also experienced by middle-aged narcoleptics.  It becomes difficult at that point to distinguish between normal aging-related memory loss and aphasia and that related to narcolepsy.     

I am having the same problem.  It's gotten a lot worse over the last year also.  Not getting enough sleep could be part of the problem. I spoke with my sleep doctor about it and he says it may be slightly related and to try and keep a log of my amount of sleep to how bad my memory is.  Problem with that is I never remember to write it down..     I am still trying to pursue the issue.  I actually had an incident one day where I was literally forgetting what I was doing from one step to another at work, a job I've been doing for over 2 years. I don't have any answers for that yet either. 

Yes I experience that all of the time, while in a drowsy state. I don't take medication, so that's not the reason. I don't doubt that it's because of my Narcolepsy. 

I don't get it while wide awake, only during sleepy moments.

Yes, I do, too. As do many other PWN (people/person with narcolepsy). Memory loss is not uncommon and is what happens when days bleed into each other and you wake up from "naps" that start one afternoon and end the next day mid-morning and you haven't even removed your shoes yet. It happens when you drag around exhausted all day, trying to function normally. When your body is that tired, so is your brain. It can only do so much when operating at diminished capacity.

Utilize post-it notes like you have some form og amnesia. Make to-do lists at whatever time of day your mind seems sharpest. For me, that's when I wake up at 3am or just before I go to bed at night. I don't suck at life so much the next day if I leave myself a reminder of what I'm supposed to accomplish when I wake. When I do wake up, the mind can be a foggy blank slate and it leterally takes all day to remember what I was supposed to have done. So instead of bedtime being the hour of regret, I try to use it to prepare myself for the next day. Narcolepsy certainly robs us of ourselves in more ways than one, but we don't have to let it win! Keep a health journal documenting notable symptoms or changes for each body system so that when you go to the doctor, you don't forget all the important things you wanted to address. Utilize bulletin boards in your house to hang up and highlight bills that need paid ASAP, etc. Set alarms in your phone or tablet so not to forget appointments or important tasks or even what time you want to leave or take your second dose midday. Document nearly everything in two different places. Your brain is no longer as reliable as it used to be.

A perda de memória é comum no trajeto de toda uma vida, mas o índice aumenta em narcolepticos, pelo fato de pularmos as fases do sono e ir direto para o REM, vamos logo para o armazenamento das informações, e elas não são organizadas direito como se passássemos em todas das fases do sono, e com isso algumas informações importantes são esquecidas! Então o problema não são as medicações e sim a doença!

I was having tons of problems with forgetting simple words, what I was saying (mid-sentence), where I was going (mid-step), ect... Both before and during medication treatment.

WHAT HELPS ME:

I play a lot of crosswords, word and math puzzles... REALLY keeps my memory sharp.