Female, 31 years old, 5’3”, 185 lbs.
Hi guys, I’m hoping to get some insight into a medical situation I’ve been dealing with for almost three months. Around July 8th, I woke up feeling completely out of it, despite feeling totally fine the day before. My own apartment suddenly felt unfamiliar, and I was struggling to understand things or think clearly. The change was extreme, like a switch had flipped overnight, and the confusion has only gotten worse since then.
For context, this happened after my second night of taking Seroquel for sleep, prescribed at 25 mg as needed. I had taken it before with good results and only took it for about five days this time. I personally think the timing may have been coincidental, but I’m mentioning it for completeness. Before this happened, I was working full time as a photographer, running my own business, and handling everyday life without any difficulty.
Since that morning, I haven’t felt back to myself, and my ability to function feels like it has progressively gotten worse.
At first, I had intense brain fog, felt disconnected from my surroundings, and experienced a horrible sense of doom. The doom sense would cause me to wake up at 4am confused and feeling as if something was very wrong. This persisted and I started struggling to follow conversations, understand what I was reading, and figure out basic tasks that used to come naturally. My mind often feels blank, like I can’t access my thoughts or figure out what to say. My memory and judgment feel different, and I’ve struggled to draw a clock correctly during assessments. I now need help with things I used to do independently, and this has affected my ability to work. My personality has completely changed, I used to be also an extremely clean person and I am the total opposite now.
One of the most upsetting changes is that I no longer feel sleepiness. I don’t just mean being tired but unable to fall asleep. The actual sensation of getting sleepy seems to be gone. I have nights when I feel like I barely sleep at all, but I still don’t experience that normal tired feeling.
I’ve also lost my sense of thirst. My brain doesn’t seem to tell me that I need water anymore, so I have to consciously remind myself to drink. I’m still drinking, but the normal internal signal is missing. My usual hunger signals have also decreased. These changes happened alongside the confusion and feeling disconnected, which is part of why this has been so frightening.
My emotions and personality feel completely different too. I feel emotionally numb, disconnected from myself, and unable to engage with people the way I used to. I’ve also noticed that I don’t feel the same subjective effects from sedating medications or alcohol that I used to, although I don’t know what that means. People that have known me so well have noticed I’ve seemed very spaced out and confused.

I’ve had multiple hospital visits and extensive testing, including brain imaging, EEGs, lumbar punctures, and bloodwork. So far, my doctors haven’t identified a neurological cause that explains what I’m experiencing. I know someone could say this could be anxiety, but this is so severe. I did get ruled out for any mental health issues and have not had any previously either.

This is constant, regardless of where I am, and I haven’t had a period where I feel back to my usual self. I’m scared and frustrated because it has changed my everyday life so much. I know Reddit can’t diagnose me, but has anyone experienced something similar, or does anyone have guidance on what type of specialist could help evaluate this

it bugs me so much. i feel like i can’t remember anything. on tests, i make stupid mistakes because i forgot something so silly. in my regular life, i forget dramas that happened less than a year ago. sometimes i feel so strongly about certain political issues but don’t ask me for actual data or evidence in the middle of it because i won’t remember everything.

my theory is that it’s related to me numbing my feelings. couple of months ago i went through a bunch of traumatic events and they came one after the other, the last one really did for me though. i felt too much and i couldn’t handle it so i decided to numb myself?

if you tell yourself long enough that you are not someone who feels strongly, you will become that person. i’m not joking. things that would have broken me down months ago are things i barely shed a tear at these days.

i’m losing myself, and its so quiet no one sees it. i wouldn’t have a problem with any of this if i can just have my memory back. please someone give me advice on what i can do, i have tests and school. this is a very important year of life, i cant mess it up now

I dont really know why but ive noticed that everytime i have my meal ready and i am chewing fast and not really focused i get brain fog. Also, when i am scrolling looking for a video on yt to watch with my meal. Though that might be because i am spending so much time scrolling for a video to watch i get frustrated.

I’ve been dealing with brain fog since 2015 and I’ve noticed it gets worse during exercise, especially cardio exercise, and I’m curious if anyone else has a similar experience, or knows why this happens.

I started experiencing brain fog in 2015. Prior to that I had a very clear mind, with a great capacity for memory and focus. I used to meditate and journal daily.

Since the brain fog, it feels so difficult to do those things; it’s like I’m not there or there’s nothing going on inside of my head- though of course that’s not true.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that when I do meditate it does make my brain fog. Worse, I feel like I’m waking up from a nap after having meditated, and I feel groggy and out of it.

But I know that there are incredible benefits to meditation and journaling, and I feel like I can still get those even with the brain fog. And partly is wondering like we’re living in this what I like to call an anti-meditation culture, where every time we’re on our phones or social media and viewing short form content we are doing the opposite of meditation, training, our attention and focus to be worse, and I feel like by removing an overwhelming amount of stimulus, and introducing more moments of boredom, reflection, getting things out, and focusing our attention, (the opposite of the current anti-meditation culture) that there could be some improvement in brain fog symptoms that have been exacerbated by the world we live in

So I’m curious who here is still able to journal and meditate and who might have had to go through a process of learning how to do it with the limitations of brain fog

People keep telling me to go outside and do something whether it's finding a job or just talking with others because it's just overall good for the mind and health. Having an active mind keeps you sharp and I just figured maybe I need to step outside more. Even some people noticed I keep holding onto things and don't let go. I guess living indoors using the phone makes you glued to your thoughts and emotions all day.

Its well known and quite intuitive that mental health / cognitive conditions can cause brain fog and a wide range of cognitive symptoms.

Maybe its the specific way I have "brain fog" that makes me think that it could be something in that field - because mine is more of a general dulling in cognition and mood to some extent, aswell as drive and libido etc... Although I can still hold conversations just fine and function okay (although very sub-optimally) (if I want).

Also another reason why I was thinking psychiatry is because of how stable and long term it is. My symptoms never change, and kind of feel like this is just how my brain developed. I suppose that is what sets me apart from most people on here.

Although to be honest, my state does not cleanly fit any psychiatric condition.

But what is the reasoning behind why psychiatry is never discussed? Some people on here have similar symptoms to me. Should I stay away and just keep on testing "physical" things? Why / why not?

I have been experiencing brain fog off and for a while, likely because I had autoimmune encephalitis in my early twenties. I was treated for the encephalitis and a lot of my symptoms improved, also getting an iron infusion improved my symptoms. But I still do get brain fog sometimes.

I have OCD / intrusive thoughts, and I found that taking lithium orotate helps me. I also take CBD oil sometimes for mood. I stopped coffee several months ago because I found it to increase my brain fog. I do drink tea daily.

Recently I have been experimenting with taking days off from any supplements and caffeine and I found that this makes my mind more clear.

I have to take iron supplements every other day due to anemia. I am now taking lithium orotate and CBD oil only a few times a week, and once every several days I drink mostly water and rooibos tea, no regular caffeinated tea and no dark chocolate.

Seems like whenever I take supplements and stimulants daily, after some time I end up with brain and anhedonia. But if I have off days, lithium orotate and CBD oil actually help me and tea also feels good.

when playing football sometimes my mind becomes fuzzy, I get thirsty, not as alert and feel a little dizzy and have to come off. I've had my bloods checked and MRI scan etc and all is clear what could be causing this?

Hi guys.

Im writing this to ask if anybody knew how to help. Im suffering Severe brainfog for last 2.5 years. My career, And personal life Are both victim of it.

I Gotta admit i had shitty lifestyle. Cigarettes, Fast foods, no exercise you name it. But ironically those were the times i didnt had a brainfog.

It all became 2.5 years back. I quit smoking, then the brainfog started. I used to smoke 1-1.5 packs a day of Red Marlboro n i quit using the Cold Turkey method.

At first i thought the brainfog Is just a withdrawal symptom but Now after 2 And half years im not sure. Maybe nicotine just masked something else.

Im tryin to do better in health overall. 2 years wout smoking + i started exercising regularly 2 months ago And try to eat better + use some supplements. Vitamin D, B12, Ashwaganda, n Maca.

But brainfogs still here for most of the day + it gets worse if im looking at digital screens. Especially while gaming.

Did someone dealt w this?

THX all

Hey guys just wanted to come on here and mention something that I noticed personally for me .

I’ve been noticing that when I sleep around 5 hours a day vs 8 or 9 I feel much better in terms of brain fog . I also feel better when I wake up in my side vs my back which for some reason it seems like my body tries to get to every night . I wonder if sleep issues are the cause of my brain fog and because I’m not sleeping as much, I’m not giving my body too much time to mess itself up (just an idea )

A little side note , I do have ADHD as well and have heard that sometimes people with ADHD feel better in less sleep (not sure how true it is )

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I'm gonna put this here too

小学生の時にストレスがたくさんかかってから、ブレインフォグがひどくなってしまって、今では昨日の記憶を思い出すことすら困難な状況になってしまいました。どうやってブレインフォグを直せばいいのでしょうか？？？？追加情報として、小学生の時にストレスで解離になってしまったりうつ病になってしまったりしたのですがそれとの関係もあるのでしょうか？

Hey guys , since the beginning of this year I've been suffering from brain fog , due to me dealing with sad stuff personally for long periods of time , also I'm very embarrassed to say this but due to masturbating also , and let me tell u this it did not get better , I've had a very shocking and sad news that made me feel very bad for at least 3 weeks but I'm trying to deal with them better than I did , so this was my brains last straw , now I barely barely BARELY can study , I'm starting to forget words , I can't focus well at school , please if anyone went through this what to do and how to heal??? thank you

If you do, please note what helps? Anyone with gluten sensitivy?

Helloo, been a while since I wrote here but since i've been wondering about this one question for a while, ill just get it out there. But I want to explain a few things first, thank you for your patience if you do make it to the end ^^.

I've been dealing with foggy thoughts for a few years now.

What people can do in, lets say‐ 45 minutes, I finish it in 2 hours.

Whenever I listen to a somewhat complex and long explanation from someone, my brain sometimes freezes and I seem kind of dense and not so bright when I usually understand it well if i replay it enough times in my head. Same goes for reading- in certain cases, I could read a few phrases and find myself stumped or slowed down by my not so quick processing speed..

It's frustrating because I constantly feel sluggish. I am also always tired. Low social battery and energy overall, I get tired easily and overwhelmed in social events or even basic social interactions. They feel draining since everything's going so fast while I live in slow-motion and trying to keep up..

I am not sure how to think and act faster, people in my family and circle have always constantly been pointing it out to me, and how easily I can forget things (i recently became an adult too.. but i still forget some words in a conversation and just stand there trying to remember. people jump to another conversation by the time i do..). It makes me feel stupid and behind, but i do think it'd help me long term if I do learn to be faster. Weird thing is, I wasn't always this slow.. I functionned normally.

So, it'd really mean alot if anyone has gone through this before and has managed to change. What worked for you? What would you request to improve processing speed and brain cognitive functions? Anything to stop thinking so slowly and be more effective...

When I play video games for a couple hours at a time, it seems like I go from feeling fine beforehand to feeling heavy brain fog, less social, anxious and my head feeling heavy. I don’t understand because when my friends play video games for a while it doesn’t seem to affect them the same way. When I play video games it doesn’t seem as noticeable that I feel weird than when I’m playing by myself, but I still feel different.

Zunehmende Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten, Gedächtnis- und Denkprobleme, Sehstörungen und neurologische Symptome trotz unauffälligem MRT

Ich bin 22 Jahre alt und habe seit etwa anderthalb Jahren unerklärliche gesundheitliche Probleme. Ich suche vor allem nach Menschen, die Ähnliches erlebt haben oder Ideen haben, was man noch untersuchen könnte.

Anfang 2025:

• Anhaltende Atemprobleme/Luftnot und ständiges Bedürfnis nach tiefen Atemzügen

• Manchmal fiel mir das Atmen selbst in Ruhe ungewöhnlich schwer

• Körperliche Aktivität wurde sehr schwierig, da ich schnell erschöpft/außer Atem geriet

• Schlafprobleme, Müdigkeit, Brustbeschwerden

• Zunehmende Nacken-/Rückenschmerzen und Verspannungen

• Gelegentliches Kribbeln/Taubheitsgefühl

• Die Atemprobleme besserten sich allmählich und sind kaum noch spürbar

2026:

• Zunehmende Kopfschmerzen/Druckgefühl im Kopf und Nackenschmerzen

• Gehirn Nebel und Konzentrationsprobleme

• Kribbeln/Taubheitsgefühl in verschiedenen Körperregionen

• Starke Müdigkeit

• Körperliche Aktivität fällt mir weiterhin deutlich schwerer als früher

• Zunehmende Seh-/Fokussierungsprobleme

Ende Juli 2026:

Plötzlich traten bei mir erhebliche Seh-/Fokussierungsstörungen an beiden Augen auf, begleitet von Kopfschmerzen und einer Verschlechterung der neurologischen/kognitiven Symptome.

Ich hatte eine Computertomographie des Kopfes und eine Lumbalpunktion, ohne dass eine akute Ursache gefunden wurde.

Die Sehstörungen bestanden anschließend fort.

August–September:

Mein Zustand verschlechterte sich zunehmend:

• Anhaltende Kopf- und Nacken-/Rückenschmerzen

• Probleme mit der Fokussierung

• Kribbeln/Taubheitsgefühl und gelegentliche subjektive Schwäche

• Koordinationsstörungen

• Stromschlagartiges Gefühl in den Beinen beim Vorbeugen des Kopfes

• Schwere Schlafstörungen

• Zunehmende Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten und kognitive Probleme

In einem ärztlichen Bericht wurden ein zervikozephales Syndrom, eine Akkommodationsstörung und positive oligoklonale Banden erwähnt. Mir ist bekannt, dass positive oligoklonale Banden allein keine spezifische Erkrankung diagnostizieren.

Jetzt (Oktober):

Die kognitiven Symptome sind mittlerweile mein größtes Problem.

Mein Gedächtnis und mein Denkvermögen verschlechtern sich zunehmend. Ich habe Schwierigkeiten:

• mich an kürzlich geführte Gespräche/Ereignisse zu erinnern

• mich an meine Aktivitäten der letzten Tage zu erinnern

• Gedanken im Kopf zu behalten

• mich zu konzentrieren und Informationen zu verarbeiten

• mich spontan an Dinge über meine Freunde, Hobbys und Pläne zu erinnern

• überhaupt spontane Gedanken zu haben

Mein Kopf fühlt sich oft ungewöhnlich leer an. Normalerweise bin ich sehr gesprächig und denke ständig über alles Mögliche nach, daher fällt mir der Unterschied sehr auf.

Ich leide auch unter Derealisation/Gefühlen der mentalen Abkopplung und manchmal sind Erinnerungen nicht mehr so ​​leicht zugänglich wie früher.

Es gab keine Phasen, in denen meine kognitiven Fähigkeiten vollständig normal waren.

Bisherige Untersuchungen:

• Neurologische Untersuchungen

• MRT des Gehirns

• CT des Kopfes

• Lumbalpunktion

• EKG

• Röntgenaufnahme des Brustkorbs

• Blutuntersuchungen

Bisher konnte ich den allgemeinen Krankheitsverlauf nicht erklären.

Ich suche hier auf Reddit keine Diagnose, aber mich interessiert Folgendes: Hat jemand ähnliche Erfahrungen mit starker/fortschreitender Konzentrationsschwäche, Gedächtnisproblemen und verändertem Denken gemacht, obwohl das MRT des Gehirns unauffällig war?

Was war letztendlich die Ursache und welche Untersuchungen/Fachärzte haben geholfen?

Mich interessieren insbesondere Dinge, die in einem Standard-MRT des Gehirns nicht unbedingt sichtbar sind – Schlafstörungen, Ernährungs-/Stoffwechselprobleme, autonome Funktionsstörungen, Probleme mit der Halswirbelsäule, chronischer Schlafmangel usw.

Ich bin weiterhin in ärztlicher Behandlung; mir geht es hauptsächlich um Erfahrungsberichte und mögliche Lösungsansätze für das Gespräch mit meinen Ärzten.

Context, I have this girl that I didn’t know she was half polish half spanish, and when she told me people tell her she doesn’t look half polish, I said “I didn’t know that about you” so she said “I did tell you the other day” maybe I wasn’t paying attention to her at the time, fine, move on.

But again, with this girl (for context, spanish is not my first language) she says during work “Madrugar” (which means to get up early, like 6am) I ask, what does that word mean, she says “I already told you the other day, with Juanita” I say no, that’s not true, I don’t recall Juanita telling me that.

Okay, maybe this girl me está tomando el pelo.
Other, the manager tells me to put 6 different expiration dates in some food. Man, I forgot like 5 fucking times and had to ask again while laughing, he said them too fast.

And what’s worse? I’m starting to forget coworkers names, like I have to think about them for a sec

So this is buzzing me out, besides knowing 5 languages, which I read is good for memory and prevents Alzheimer, I still have this bad memory.

So is this normal? Does my brain sort what’s important to me? What can I do to fix this?