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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by eazup on February 20, 2005, at 13:38:34
my younger sister was recently admitted to a psychiatric hospital, unable to care for herself. A week previously she had injested an unknown substance, possibly in combination with marijuana. the next day she complained of massive headaches and the inability to concentrate. Over the next week her symptoms increased until she was unable to care for herself. CAT scans showed nothing, she was given an morphine drip, but it did nothing for the headaches. during this time her movements became slow, and she lost the ability to talk. At the time she was admitted to the hospital she was hearing the voice of my brother, who is out of the country.
At this point she is very uncommunicative, able to speak only in a whisper, and not very much. Her cognitive ability is severly limited though she has regained some motor skills. She recognizes all of us, but is unable to maintain a train of thought. At times it seems she is almost about to break out of it, and other times she is very far away.
Research I have done seems to point to an amphetamine or methamphetamine related toxicity, where the substance in question was unable to escape past the blood brain barrier and remained, causing damage. She was on Prozac at this time. Any suggestions on treatment or possible theories of causes would be greatly appreciated
Posted by Nixon on February 20, 2005, at 14:04:34
In reply to younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 20, 2005, at 13:38:34
Hi,
I am sorry to hear about your sister. What type of diagnosis is being given by the Hospital Doctors?
Posted by Phillipa on February 20, 2005, at 17:55:12
In reply to Re: younger sister with brain damage » eazup, posted by Nixon on February 20, 2005, at 14:04:34
I'm sorry. I too, would like to know what the dx is, and why the morphine drup? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by lunesta on February 20, 2005, at 20:31:59
In reply to younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 20, 2005, at 13:38:34
it does indeed sound like anphetamine physcosis... if it doesnt go away the only treatment is i can think of is neuroleptic (antiphsycotic)
chronic cannibis/marijuana has also been known to cause physocsis.
Posted by Maxime on February 20, 2005, at 22:15:32
In reply to younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 20, 2005, at 13:38:34
Is it possible the weed was laced with PCP?
Why the morphine? For the headache?
I'm very sorry to hear about this.
Maxime
Posted by Sarah T. on February 20, 2005, at 23:37:32
In reply to younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 20, 2005, at 13:38:34
I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. Doctors are able to do toxicology screening for patients who have the sorts of reactions your sister had, but it might be too late for a toxicology screen now. They should have taken blood and urine samples at the time she was admitted to the hospital. You mentioned that your sister was on Prozac. I'm assuming that you meant she was on Prozac at the time she ingested the unknown substances. Prozac CAN cause some serious interactions with other medicines in sensitive, susceptible individuals, and it's possible your sister falls into that category. It's possible that the metabolism of Prozac in the liver interfered with the metabolism of the other substances, causing them to build up in her system. Further, Prozac is one of those medicines that has a long "half-life." In other words, it stays in the body longer than several other drugs in the same class. Different people metabolize drugs in different ways. If someone is a "slow metabolizer" and they take a drug that interferes or competes with the metabolism of another, the drugs (or the breakdown products of the drugs) can stay in the body too long. I do hope that it is not too late for some sort of toxicology screen. If your sister has indeed suffered brain damage, I do hope that she will be in a good rehabilitation program, consisting of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. I have seen some remarkable changes in patients who participate in these programs, although it may take months of consistent therapy for the changes to occur.
Posted by eazup on February 21, 2005, at 18:24:50
In reply to Re: younger sister with brain damage » eazup, posted by Sarah T. on February 20, 2005, at 23:37:32
she is being scheduled for an MRI as well as an appointment with a neurologist. Whatever she took, it was three weeks ago, well past the time that a toxicology report would be worth anything. she is currently in a juvenile mental health center, Therapy is not really an option just yet, she is still really locked inside her head. It seems like she is cognizant of what goes on around her, but unable to interact. When I tell a joke, she smiles, she recognizes all of us, she knows who she is, but will then space off and be unable to complete her thought. Can't talk much. The prozac was prescribed initially by her psychiatrist immediately following, along with a sleeping pill. He thought she was just freaking out. Anyways, thank you all for you kind words and advice.
Posted by Sarah T. on February 22, 2005, at 1:32:36
In reply to Re: younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 21, 2005, at 18:24:50
I just read on bbc news, which I accessed through Google Health news, about a patient who had several strokes following cannabis/marijuana use. If you are interested, the title of the article is "Case prompts cannabis stroke fear." It can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4276457.stm
It sounds as if your sister is quite young, which is good as far as rehabilitation is concerned. The younger the patient, the better the chance of restoring function.
Posted by Sarah T. on February 22, 2005, at 2:02:02
In reply to Re: younger sister with brain damage, posted by eazup on February 21, 2005, at 18:24:50
I'd like to mention one other thing. I disagree regarding your comment about therapy not being an option yet. The sooner rehabilitation begins following brain injury, the better the chance of recovery, and the fact that your sister is so young is all the more reason to have hope. Even if she can't initiate action or follow instructions, it is possible to do physical therapy in a limited way. For example, the patient's limbs can be passively exercised by a therapist or machine, and the motions are "remembered" on some level.
This is the end of the thread.
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