Treatment of symptoms of Dyspraxia

[Mowgli]

I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia in the summer of 2016. I was 18 years old at the time.
I was not aware of the condition before my diagnosis, however I had always felt different from other people...a bit stupid.

I want to talk about the two symptoms of this condition that weight on me and have impacted me the most

Ever since I could remember ha, I have always had a poor memory, I struggle to remember people, facts, events e.t.c. Both my short term and long term memory are deficient. If I ever wrote a biography of my life it wouldn't be very long trust me, how could I transcribe stories from my life that I don't remember.

The other issue is one of focus, or lack of. I struggle with paying attention, completing tasks and even this post, its taking me much longer to write all of this this than I would like.

Finally I'll get to the point of my post, I joined this forum in the hopes that I could reach out to other people who have dyspraxia and ask them this.

Do you guys have these symptoms as well, is is this bad for you and is there any treatment that I can get for these two symptoms. I'm aware that there is no medication for dyspraxia however is there any medication that can help me focus and help with my memory.

I'm based in England so any advice that is pertinent to UK citizens would be much appreciated.

[Xenavire]

To start, I don't know about medications that will help, so this post won't be helpful if that's all you are looking for.

However - my memory is like Swiss cheese that was taken to the firing range. The vast majority of my past is either hazy or just gone. My short term memory fares a little better as long as I am not expected to multitask - if I'm asked to do too much at once, poof, I forgot something.

As for my focus, I have bouts of trouble, it isn't a constant issue. Usually these episodes of inability to focus are caused by events around me, temperature (heat), or over thinking simple problems.

I'm not sure you will get the answer you are looking for here, but you aren't alone, that's for sure.

[Tom fod]

I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia in the summer of 2016. I was 18 years old at the time.
I was not aware of the condition before my diagnosis, however I had always felt different from other people...a bit stupid.

I want to talk about the two symptoms of this condition that weight on me and have impacted me the most

Ever since I could remember ha, I have always had a poor memory, I struggle to remember people, facts, events e.t.c. Both my short term and long term memory are deficient. If I ever wrote a biography of my life it wouldn't be very long trust me, how could I transcribe stories from my life that I don't remember.

The other issue is one of focus, or lack of. I struggle with paying attention, completing tasks and even this post, its taking me much longer to write all of this this than I would like.

Finally I'll get to the point of my post, I joined this forum in the hopes that I could reach out to other people who have dyspraxia and ask them this.

Do you guys have these symptoms as well, is is this bad for you and is there any treatment that I can get for these two symptoms. I'm aware that there is no medication for dyspraxia however is there any medication that can help me focus and help with my memory.

I'm based in England so any advice that is pertinent to UK citizens would be much appreciated.

Hi Mowgli and welcome.

The associated anxiety many of us have or other MH struggles also tend to have a very detrimental effect on our memory. While one might not necessarily meet threshold for a clinical diagnosis such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder or Depression, the effect is there.

A proportion of us may meet threshold for an ADHD diagnosis but I'm not sure what medication might typically be prescribed to you. it is no easier to get formal diagnosis for ADHD and can there be absence of provision or long waiting lists.

We're not stupid but lack of confidence and our 'sketchy' performance, especially on bad days can cause people to unfairly and lazily label us as such. It's easy to get trapped in a vicious circle of believing we're hopeless.

[The new luddite]

Hi Mowgli,

Yeah I can definitely relate with a lot of what your saying my memory is sketchy at best especially short term, I'm not so bad with facts and figures
but names,dates and faces forget it (no pun intended ).

I really struggle with my sequential memory so if some one gives me a verbal list like instructions or a shopping list and I can't write it down I will forget it.

Medication wise I cant really advise but I have made some adjustments to my diet and routines that were originally suggested by my disability support
tutor at uni that do seem to help.

In terms of food and drink; plenty of plain old water, try to avoid stimulants with high caffeine and/or sugar they may help concentration for a while but once you start coming of the rush they actually make things worse.
Try and increase intake of fatty acids especially Omega-3 so oily fish, nuts and seeds if you can't stand any of those you can get supplements.

For working and studying techniques I use the 20-10 rule i.e. 20 minutes of work followed by 10 of doing something else although I must admit I had to work up to this it started out more like 10 minutes work and 20 minutes something else.

Finally try to get a good solid nights sleep (I'm probably the worst person to comment on this one) there are lots of studies on the effects sleep deprivation to memory and concentration I'd I guess its magnified for Dyspraxics.

Unfortunately I don't think there's a magic bullet for this one even if you did get prescribed medication it would probably have other side effects.

But your not on your own with this and hopefully some of the above might help.

[Xenavire]

Sleep, that's a rough one for most of us I imagine. For example, I have extreme difficulty sleeping during summer weather (too hot and too light, I'm lucky if I can get to sleep before three AM.) As a result, I'm almost constantly tired in summer, and I'm sure that impacts my ability to retain information quite a bit.

On top of that, it can be hard to switch off. I tend to be incapable of sleep unless I am exhausted. On the plus side, with Dyspraxia being a constant pain, we tend to get exhausted more easily than most. But that makes napping a double edged sword (a half hour nap leaves me feeling hungover, and that short sleep keeps me awake for hours at night.)

I'm a little afraid to try sleeping pills though. I'm well aware that the body adjusts to any medication after a while, so while I am sure it would be hugely helpful short term, I suspect that long term the problem would only be worse than it is now.

I guess my point here is that sometimes we have a problem that medication might help, but it may not be wise to take it. Does anyone have experience with sleeping issues and sleeping pills? Perhaps I'm jumping to the wrong conclusion.

[The new luddite]

I've been on sleeping pills before because like you Xenvire I often struggle to switch of until silly o'clock in the morning.
I don't take them anymore because I find the sleep I get on them isn't much good and they leave me feeling groggy in the morning now I just go with warm milk and Camille tea in the evenings doesn't knock me out but does help relaxation I find.

Is anyone else struggling with their sleeping patterns during lock down ? I'm having real issues my body clock is shot.

[Xenavire]

Lock down has sadly changed nothing for me, but the crazy Spring pretending it's summer has done me in like nothing else. I couldn't shut down until 7am two nights ago because it was just too hot (and since the heat has come on so fast, I haven't had a chance to adjust properly.)

Annoyingly, I can't stand warm milk or chamomile. Good to know I'm not crazy for avoiding sleeping pills though, they'll be a last resort.

[NeilW]

Hello, I did not think this would be my first post but this is where I have landed!

For sleeping problems/insomnia I have used Promethazine, it's an over the counter medication (Phenergan) anti-histamine with some sedation effects.

Not like a full on sleep med like Zopiclone or similar. It takes about 20 minutes to take effect for me but I still need to try to sleep, as in relax, no screens on etc.

Hope this may be of some use, if recommending meds is not allowed on this forum, I apologise and please delete.

[Tom fod]

Hi Neil

Welcome and thank you.

I was prescribed it myself when I was younger, for my allergies and an aid to sleeping Since it's over the counter and thus in no way illicit, 'knock yourself out' after having carefully read the medicine information leaflet and taking only the recommended dose..

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/promethazine/

[Xenavire]

'knock yourself out'

Instructions unclear, used lamp instead. Now I have a headache.

(Kidding, obviously!)

[Tom fod]

Instructions unclear, used lamp instead. Now I have a headache.

Or were you searching for the tablets and bumped your head knocking the lamp over in the process before then tripping over the damn thing.

The rules of entropy mandate alsolute chaos!

[Xenavire]

Well, today I learned that Dyspraxia is a small step away from Entropy - because that sort of thing happens to us far too often!

[laurameida]

Do you have an attending physician? It's just that with such a disease, you need to visit a doctor/psychotherapist. It would be best if you were cured of your ailment, or at least control it. For example, I also have a certain disease (I don't want to say its name), and I visit the doctor regularly. Even if I go somewhere to another country, I still keep in touch with him with the help of the best telehealth software. It's just that I'm in such a position that without a doctor, I would get worse every day and up to a fatal outcome.
So, I advise you to go to a psychotherapist or hire an attending physician.

[Tom fod]

Do you have an attending physician?

Please state your business and reason for joining this forum! Admin have removed the URL link you posted in clear contravention of Forum rules in your other post here.

[Tom fod]

I want to say for a start that you should not feel "sick" since this spectrum of diseases is quite widespread, and there is nothing to worry about; it's just a feature of your brain. If you want to improve your memory, I can advise you to look at some drugs, including magnesium. [url removed by Admin], I order drugs for my children there and am very pleased with the quality of the drugs and how they act on memory in general. Write here if you still decide to buy something from there or want me to tell you the names of the drugs that I use

This is offensive
Dyspraxia is a condition and is in no way a disease.

We have a strict no advertising policy that you have also contravened

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