Does Adderall Help a Foggy Memory?

A San Francisco journalist explores the options and treatments for forgetfulness to brain drain. Brain scans show signs of only advanced stages of disease and could not detect subtle memory deficits - problems that can be caused by a whole host of conditions that are common in midlife. And though her brain scan was normal, she scored poorly on some memory and attention tests.

A stimulant such as Adderall, usually prescribed for attention deficit disorder, was recommended. So she got a prescription and it did help - at least for a while. But Adderall made her tense, so she switched to Provigil, another medication that is thought to boost alertness. That drug also helped, but she was still having difficulties.

She tried a long list of interventions aimed at giving her a sharper mind. She went to a longevity guru and now takes a handful of vitamins every day. She tried meditation and games to boost her concentration, and after learning that physical activity might build a better brain, so she started to work out twice a week.