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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Shyan on August 19, 2010, at 21:50:55
Hey everyone,
This is my first time using this site, so I'm hoping I am posting the following question in the right place :)
I am curious if anyone has had, or has heard of something which I call "Brain Fog".
I have been experiencing a lot of brain fog lately. It usually starts as soon as I wake up after a long nights sleep. (Today, I had 12 hours sleep).
I'm experiencing confusion, lack of concentration, inability to think for long periods of time, blurred (foggy) vision. I feel as if I'm a zombie and feel like I just "havent woken up". I've been awake for 4 hours now, but it hasn't been getting any better. I feel like I'm on auto-pilot. :(
I have experienced this before and usually I just go back to sleep because of the frustration is causes. It's a really scary feeling, as I can't do too much. I feel overly fatigued. I dont even know how much sense I am making right now. So I hope someone understands and can give me some sort of idea as to what it going on with me.
I know that for most people if you sleep too long you can wake up feeling "groggy". But shouldnt that go away sooner than with what Im experiencing? I'm pretty sure I am going to feel like this all day/night. And to me, it doesn't sound like a "common" over-sleeping problem.
My History:
Suffering from Depression for the past 12 years.
" " Anxiety disorder for 12 years.
" " Night terrors for most of my life.Thank you for your time.
Shyan
Posted by Zyprexa on August 19, 2010, at 22:03:37
In reply to Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 19, 2010, at 21:50:55
Are you taking meds? A lot of people on here say that anti psychotics can cause brain fog and zombie. I'm on zyprexa, and often feel like I'm on auto pilot. Not sure if I experiance brain fog, probably. Also when I'm off the zyprexa I get a real brain fog, where I feel like my head is up in the air and not realy aware of suroundings. So maybe the brain fog is less on the meds? Meds can make you sleep a lot, atleast some can. Zyprexa does. Not sure what else to say, but what meds do you take?
Posted by morgan miller on August 19, 2010, at 22:38:44
In reply to Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 19, 2010, at 21:50:55
Welcome to P Babble!
Are you taking any medications right now?
Does exercise help? Exercise over time should cause permanent changes in your brain that may make you feel better.
There are some supplements I could suggest, but I'd know if you are currently taking any medications or supplements.
I would recommend fish oil for better brain function. I think everyone should be taking a good fish oil/omega 3 supplement
Morgan
Posted by Phillipa on August 19, 2010, at 23:54:37
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by morgan miller on August 19, 2010, at 22:38:44
Yes welcome to babble. And seriously what meds are you currently taking. Have some worked well in the past if so what ones. Phillipa
Posted by Shyan on August 20, 2010, at 8:22:11
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by Phillipa on August 19, 2010, at 23:54:37
Thank you everyone for your replies and for the welcoming :)
I am currently taking Effexor XR (112.5mg), I started back in April 2010.
I am also taking .5mg of clonazapam (been for countless years and LOW dose)
My Dr. noticed a few months back that I have tachycardia! She believes its due to my high anxiety. My heart rate (at rest) is usually around 120+. She has me on Metoprolol for that.I know that medicine can definitely cause our bodies to do crazy things. I for one, am not too sure it's the medicine though. It usually only happens after I wake from a long nights sleep. I have a lot of sleep disruptancies due to my night terrors. So while I may be "sleeping", its not always the soundest sleep.
As I said in my previous post; I can understand being groggy and such after sleeping for awhile, but it lasts all day, until the following morning. And the symptoms in which I described aren't described lightly. I am literally unable to do any productive. lol It's very scary to say the least.
I am going to make a Dr.s appnt within the next week and see what she has to say. Sadly, she doesn't seem to take me too seriously. I have been a 'depressed patient' for the past 12 years, with not a lot of success. Perhaps her inability to help me more is making her irritable.
Again, thank you for your replies. They are greatly appreciated.
Wishing everyone well! :)
Posted by bleauberry on August 20, 2010, at 15:16:03
In reply to Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 19, 2010, at 21:50:55
The first place to take a look is at the meds you are taking. Brain fog would not be unusually with most of them.
I know brain fog really really well, as does everyone familiar with Lyme or Candidiasis. Or any of a number of other unsuspected chronic infections of the viral, bacterial, or fungal organisms. Lyme and Candida are the two most common ones that send people to a psychiatrist and goes undetected for many years or decades.
Unfortunately pdocs are not qualified in that area and usually only make guesses at treating the symptoms but not in identifying or correcting the actual cause.
The longtime chronic night terrors and anxiety point to something being wrong that in my opinion needs a more comprehensive approach probably out of the league of pdocs.
But the first place to look is at any current meds.
The second place to look would be short diagnostic challenge trials of Doxycycline and then Diflucan just to see what happens. Reactions to those tell a lot.
Posted by polarbear206 on August 20, 2010, at 17:24:20
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 20, 2010, at 8:22:11
> Thank you everyone for your replies and for the welcoming :)
>
> I am currently taking Effexor XR (112.5mg), I started back in April 2010.
> I am also taking .5mg of clonazapam (been for countless years and LOW dose)
> My Dr. noticed a few months back that I have tachycardia! She believes its due to my high anxiety. My heart rate (at rest) is usually around 120+. She has me on Metoprolol for that.
>
> I know that medicine can definitely cause our bodies to do crazy things. I for one, am not too sure it's the medicine though. It usually only happens after I wake from a long nights sleep. I have a lot of sleep disruptancies due to my night terrors. So while I may be "sleeping", its not always the soundest sleep.
>
> As I said in my previous post; I can understand being groggy and such after sleeping for awhile, but it lasts all day, until the following morning. And the symptoms in which I described aren't described lightly. I am literally unable to do any productive. lol It's very scary to say the least.
>
> I am going to make a Dr.s appnt within the next week and see what she has to say. Sadly, she doesn't seem to take me too seriously. I have been a 'depressed patient' for the past 12 years, with not a lot of success. Perhaps her inability to help me more is making her irritable.
>
> Again, thank you for your replies. They are greatly appreciated.
>
> Wishing everyone well! :)
>Hello,
You are experiencing cyclic shifts in your sleeping pattern. These are periods of hypersomnia, which means sleeping too much and the culprit most likely stems from your deprssion. Try to adhere to a strict sleep/wake cycle. The more you sleep, the worst you will feel. I know exactly what you are experiencing, been there too. Do you have periods where you sleep less than 6 hours? Is there a pattern? I would keep track and document your sleep cycles. It would really help if you give a detailed history of your illness. Are there times you have more energy and don't need as much sleep? What are your eating patterns like? Etc....
Posted by Shyan on August 22, 2010, at 19:43:16
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by polarbear206 on August 20, 2010, at 17:24:20
Hey,
I still havent gone to the Dr.s. I actually missed my appointment because I was too exhausted to get myself out of bed. How pathetic is that.
I'm going to try to give more details on this. Hopefully I can.
As of right now I am not working. I have had troubles with working all my life due to the depression and anxiety. I basically have felt incapable of doing anything over the past 12 years. I have no motivation, or enthusiasm to do anything. Just the thought of work scares me. I am also living at home with my family. (depressing atmosphere) I am 27, so that is very hard on me. Knowing that I have not gotten anywhere.
I usually go to sleep around 2-3am. I will toss and turn for at least an hour before falling asleep. I'm told I have night terrors terribly. I'm woken up several times a night from family members telling me to be quiet. (Apparently I scream as loud as humanly posible, using very vulgar words.) I never have any recolection of them waking me. I will even have conversations with them, saying "Of course I'm awake now, can't you tell?" But never remember. I've woken up a few times from punching things (computer monitor/walls etc). So I don't think I'm getting decent sleep, when I do. Also on the rare ocassion I will remember my dreams, they are always horrible. Someone is always dieing, or getting hurt. I'm dieing or getting hurt. Very Brutally.
I usually wake around 1pm the following afternoon. I get up, make cereal, have a smoke and I am so tired and unmotivated to do anything so I will go back to sleep for a couple hours. Then just waste my night away watching movies, taking the odd nap again, playing on the computer, stressing and what not. My life is very unproductive and depressing, as you can probably tell.
I take my meds, (Metoprolol 25mg twice a day, Effexor, which is 187.5mg not what i recently thought it was in my last post. I also take .5 of clonazapam. I take all of these at the same time. Around 1pm when I wake.
My eating habits usually consist of two bowls of cereal throughout my waking hours. I'm a fussy eater and am usually too lazy to make anything that takes time. (I feel weak, dizzy and unsteady, too exhausted) I don't get out too much. When I do it's once a week.
I just got out of a relationship a couple weeks ago, I was eating and sleeping better and did feel somewhat of a relief from a lot of my symptoms. However, it didnt work out!
Wow, it's really depressing to have just written all of this. I try and ignore my life as much as posible, as it's very embarrassing for me.
Hypersomnia does sound like it could be it. I'm just not sure what I can do about that. But I will definitely read and look into it some more.
I hope that in time, my life will consist of energy and motivation of some sort. I'm tired of feeling this way.
Thanks for listening.
Posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:22:46
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 22, 2010, at 19:43:16
First thing I would suggest is to bump the Effexor up 225mg or higher. My sweet spot is at 300mg. If things don't get any better then I would mention a mood stablizer to augment the Effexor. I will tell you from experience, that I always had nightmares, etc.. when my depression was at its worse. You could have Atypical depression,and/or with a bipolar varation. All of your symptoms pretty much match mine, Make sure you discuss any changes with your doctor. Check out Psycheducation.org. Excellent site for education.
Posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:25:09
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:22:46
> First thing I would suggest is to bump the Effexor up 225mg or higher. My sweet spot is at 300mg. If things don't get any better then I would mention a mood stablizer to augment the Effexor. I will tell you from experience, that I always had nightmares, etc.. when my depression was at its worse. You could have Atypical depression,and/or with a bipolar varation. All of your symptoms pretty much match mine, Make sure you discuss any changes with your doctor. Check out Psycheducation.org. Excellent site for education.
Posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:30:34
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:25:09
> > First thing I would suggest is to bump the Effexor up 225mg or higher. My sweet spot is at 300mg. If things don't get any better then I would mention a mood stablizer to augment the Effexor. I will tell you from experience, that I always had nightmares, etc.. when my depression was at its worse. You could have Atypical depression,and/or with a bipolar varation. All of your symptoms pretty much match mine, Make sure you discuss any changes with your doctor. Check out Psycheducation.org. Excellent site for education.
>
> http://www.psycheducation.org/When you pull up the site,look at the left hand side of the page and click on soft bipolar and let me know what you think after you read it. :)
Posted by Shyan on September 21, 2010, at 23:29:53
In reply to Re: Brain Fog!??, posted by polarbear206 on August 22, 2010, at 21:30:34
Thanks Polorbear for your suggestions.
I did take a look at the link you provided. To tell you the truth I've no clue what to think anymore. I definitely don't experience anything in which I would call "mania". But again when looking at the "soft" stuff, anything is possible.
The one thing that worries my about bumping my effexor up is the withdrawal in coming off (If I should ever have to). I experienced a HORRIFIC withdrawal affect that lasted a good couple of month of pure hell from a different med and I dont ever want to experience that again. I have never really had any success with antidepressants tho, so the thought of going off of them all for good is a thought I entertain sometimes.
I know I will probably have withdrawal anyway, at the dose in which Im at now. But increasing it seems like it would make the transition that much harder.
Posted by Alexanderfromdenmark on September 23, 2010, at 14:28:13
In reply to Brain Fog!??, posted by Shyan on August 19, 2010, at 21:50:55
For me brain fog is directly related to how severe my depression is and how fatigued I am. I notice that sleeping to much or too little makes it worse though. I don't really have any solutions I'm afraid, but I just want to say that it's exetremely common in those with with depression and fatigue issues.
This is the end of the thread.
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