Frontal lobe damage from booze

[iplugpanadol]

I'm turning 21 soon and I've had a penchant for binge drinking (really, really badly). I've been doing it since I my teens, and it has gone from the point of having a 6 pack of chick drinks and being wasted and throwing up, to having up to 30 drinks a night and blacking out and waking up wasted 10 hours after my last drink. During my years aged 18-20 I used alot of MDMA, stimulants, and frequently drank to the extent to which I just mentioned. After realising my short term memory was virtually non-existant, I gave up MDMA and amphetamines, but continued to drink heavily and smoke alot of marijuana.

About 8 months ago I was at a very low point in my life, and foolishly experimented with LSA seeds. I was experienced with acid and mushrooms, and although my past trips left me feeling mentally and emotionally fragile for extended periods of time, I continuted to trip (not frequently).

I'm not getting into the details, but after this horrific LSA trip, and a subsequent marijauana session I had a period of psychotic episodes. I was paranoid, and had awful depersonalisation periods where I was virtually an emotional vegetable, confused by simple things such as trees.

Fortunately, I recovered after a somewhat lengthy period of time, and was put on lexapro (I've always suffered from depression). I'm still on the lexapro and I was extremely happy with the change in my mental disposition. I now work 5 or 6 days a week as a labourer for my father's successful company, which I soon hope to own. I point this out because I used to never be able to work any sort of jobs.

I feel as though I am a relatively stable person now, although my drug use and binge drinking as still left me with terrible short term memory problems (I'm sure alot of people reading this can relate), and lately I've noticed I often have troubles understanding, analyzing, and problem solving any manner of everyday obstacles. I've always been intellectually gifted, and it is worrying me down that I've wrecked my mind, or possibly have a brain tumour.

 

[Bearlove]

Hi there, sounds like you have been through a bit of a rough patch to say the least. Its great news that your out the other side now though and its time for you to get back on track.

Dont forget that a side effect of Lexpro is difficulty thinking/memory problems so dont beat yourself up to badly if your stuggling or worry about having a brain tumor. Im not sure if you will taper off the medication or not but it may be worth you speaking with your doctor and mentioning the poor concentration.

Just as a heads up dont try and use MDMA/stim when your using Lexpro as its a SSRI and could lead to further problems.

Good luck

 

[cj]

You should get a cat scan rule out brain tumor. I find that if you can rule out the worst case death scenerio you will feel better about everything

 

[paranoid android]

I felt messed up and was suffering from really severe anxiety and depersonalization for about a year after i gave up drinking. I also felt dumber then usual as if my brain was "fried" for lack of a better term. My memory was also well fucked up for a long time after. This went away after awile but sadly since i had suffered from severe anxiety long before i became a alcoholic things only got worse after i gave up drinking. Depersonalization is actually a symptom of anxiety not psychosis. Well actually it can be a symptom of psychosis but 99% of the time it's nothing but anxiety.

Ive also used alot of drugs besides alcohol over the years mainly opiates, cannabis, psychedelics, benzos, dissociatives and to a much lesser extent amphetamines and cooke/crack. I always found alcohol to be the worst for causing cognitive problems though. I would suggest laying off all drugs until your brain has a chance to return to normal.

Lexapro takes a good month to fully kick in so give it some time. If that doesent work then try something else. Sadly it's often a capshoot when it comes to finding the right meds. If your really wigging out a short term course of benzos may not be a bad idea as long as you can keep your use under control. But that is only my suggestion and i am certainly no doctor.

 

[Orangutangpsychopa]

How boozing can cause frontal lobe something? Is handwriting in there in brains? And how brains can have tumor? Isn't it something that's placed into there?

 

[n3ophy7e]

^^ The frontal lobe is where functions such as voluntary movement (so yes, handwriting), long-term memory, motivation, decision, some aspects of speech, among many other things, are processed.
Alcohol causes damage to the neuron connections in the brain so over time, with years of severe alcohol abuse, brain damage can begin to occur.
Brain tumours are abnormal growths which develop in the brain tissue, there are many different types of brain tumours and they can occur in any part of the brain, which of course means that different brain tumours can cause different symptoms.

I feel as though I am a relatively stable person now, although my drug use and binge drinking as still left me with terrible short term memory problems (I'm sure alot of people reading this can relate), and lately I've noticed I often have troubles understanding, analyzing, and problem solving any manner of everyday obstacles. I've always been intellectually gifted, and it is worrying me down that I've wrecked my mind, or possibly have a brain tumour.

I have suffered from similar symptoms following years of MDMA and alcohol abuse. It is concerning, especially if you're an individual who values their intellect. Please know this: the brain is an amazing organ and very capable of recovering from the damage that we do to it from substance abuse. Depending on how long and how severe the abuse was can determine how long it will take to recover. But there has been a lot of recent study in to neuroplasticity, which shows that not only can the brain repair itself to a certain degree, but it can utelise the faculties of other parts of the brain to restore lost functions.

Something that I have noticed has helped me massively in restoring my memory problems is continuously "training" my brain. I read non-fiction books (fiction is great as well, I just personally prefer non-fiction so that I'm actually learning something as well as reading), do sudoku and crossword puzzles, and I always try and test my short-term memory in everyday life, e.g. remembering phone numbers and adding up prices of groceries in my head. All these little things stimulate your brain and force it to build up stronger neuron connections. I guarentee you'll eventually see an improvement if you try this method

 

[Orangutangpsychopa]

O-K. That for op, still i want to say excellent text, that's what i like, definitely. Antidepressants and mind developing games, maybe not any natural or half-synthetic or synthetic food additives. Instead of antibiotics dirty water. Hereby those sand pieces, little rock that stop falling on ice cause something worse than flu. Antibiotics could be necessary in many cases in north, possibly even more in hot south. For some reason hospital bacteria hasn't anyway spread as plague even they are given anyway if infection.

I'm not expert but isn't it amphetamine that triggers psychosis, and it turns into schitsophrenia if prolonged(psychosis i mean). And MDMA and LSD and such, confusion a lot on the age of getting partner for marriage.

To some people drugs don't fit but they struggle with medications for years or rest of life, then yearly come to cross dose that won't enjoy. Looking for (of course a person can whatever in about whatever age) some other way to live than normal day-job society would provide. Me too. Don't you go invent free meals from social offices, they attack then, ehh. It's not helping what they pretend, normal thinking procedure explains what things are.

And substance handling capability, girls can easily do sudokus, on neuroleptics i can't even connect digibox to a TV. Then on benzos build my rack. You know this goes to that, it's nasty if a lot of need for merits and can't do any. Or understand far reach things, objective and subjective thinking, wide angle view too. Brain agonism has it's better side too it is.

If brain damage, i'd do first shaving, and not rubbing but "scratching" the head areas on GABA medicines few times a day. To increase blood flow.

It was that kind of talk again, but frontal lobe is(it's not in dictionary) sides of head? And connecting is viceversa?, opposite, also in hands and eyes. Forehead is different than frontal lobe(s)?

 

[n3ophy7e]

Yep, the frontal lobe is a part of the brain, inside the skull. Here's a picture:

Not sure what it would translate to in Finnish, maybe you do call it the Forehead or perhaps Forebrain? And yes you're right, for things like eyes and hands etc, the opposite side of the brain processes the information

Anyway, to answer some of your other questions, yes amphetamines can cause psychosis and lead to schitzophrenia, but not in ALL cases. Schizophrenia has to be underlying in that individual for it to become the fully developed disorder later in life. It can be triggered by amphetamines, or it can develop on its own. But if someone doesn't have the genetic makeup for the disorder, it won't ever develop.
And psychosis can be caused by many different things, including amphetamine abuse. Alcohol abuse can certainly cause psychosis, but it would occur after years of heavy abuse.


iplugpanadol, how are you going now man?

 

[Asclepius]

Sounds frightening what youve been through! I myself have suffered from depersinalisation and paranoia for lengthy periods in the distant past due to MDMA use and basically not looking after my well being.
My partner is a chronic alcoholic and also abused various pills(mainly prescription) however he now abstains as much as he can. He has been hospitalised with Alcohol induced psychosis in the past but is doing pretty well now. He still hears 'noises' occasionally and his emotional intellect can be impaired -ie he gets aggitated easily and cant 'work out why or how to calm down. Overall he's doing well though and still getting Therapy to cope. HE's still, like yourself on Lexipro.
Glad for you that your doing better in your life! Without running the risk of telling you what to do! Dealing with reality without substances (unless perscribed, and even question whats suggested and keep doing the research u are doing at mo) is often a more fruitious alternative for alot of people
Im not an expert but you need to nourish yourself, take sufficient omega 3 oils into your diet(known to aid depressionand cognitive ability), veg and protein and get moderate excercise-focus on the basics that you can control so that you can build yourself back to strength after what youve been through. Gud Luck to you!

 

[captaincaveman]

I damaged my frontal lobe

Last year I was in a horrific accident and damaged my frontal lobe (there was bleeding in my brain). Doctors said I was lucky to survive and very lucky to remain fairly functional. However, what followed was weeks of speech therapy and movement rehabilitation. My consulatant said I should have remained off work for two months (my boss gave me two weeks). The scary thing was that doctors told me that with injuries to the brain it is hard to predict what other problems may arise. I was warned that my moods may change drastically and I should steer clear of major stresses (my employer took total disregard of this). I know alcohol can cause brain damage (Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome) although don't think that this is frontal lobe and you have to be doing some real heavy drinking. I don't drink now and have a fairly normal life, I even do a bit of thai boxing to my doctors despair! As someone else said get a CAT scan and if you have damaged your frontal lobe don't think that is the end of your life. I still see my occupational therapist who gives me simple tests to make sure my cognitive responses are still normal. Might want to tweak your lifestyle, I used to love acid and ket and those funny drugs but I don't want to turn into a drooling vegetable!

 

[n3ophy7e]

^^ Sorry to hear about your accident man, although it sounds like you've made a great recovery. I'm with your doctor, I shudder to hear that you're doing thai boxing!! Hasn't your brain taken enough of a beating?! But if it gives you pleasure and you take it easy, then go for it.

I know alcohol can cause brain damage (Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome) although don't think that this is frontal lobe and you have to be doing some real heavy drinking.

Correct. Korsakoff's syndrome is actually caused by a chronic deficiency is vitamin B caused by excessive drinking and lack of nutrition (also caused by mercury poisoning and probably other things). It is a disorder which affects the hippocampus, which is in the temporal lobe.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Please know that as long as you have an ability to form memories that you will have a chance to repair the damage! I have had the horrifying opportunity to talk with a person who have been suffering from dementia due to a terminal autoimmune disease (they will die delirious, incapacitated, and unfortunately alone). Unless you have been an alcoholic for decades, your brain still has the capacity to recover and you can still live a normal life.

 

[Orangutangpsychopa]

It's clear now that in the picture red is frontal lobe. But what's it then if it's that red-blue-yellow crosspoint area, and in the blue, lowest area. Frontal-parental-temporal cross point. From oneself on right. Fact Social behaviour gets to angry/violent if hard hit to left, or is it right, on forehead so that frontal lobe is damaged.

Vitamins aren't suggested to any from those people who are healthy and old. But are then occasional drinker or complete straight. I personally am vitamin C and possibly A allergic. Also possibly Bs and all possibly omega-3,-6,-9 unsure, because not fishoil containing mercury or white shark with dolphin meat. It has corrected, all those together or some / one of them, my periodical face rottening that get trigggered by booze / amphetamine / morning glories etc.

Everybody knows vitamin A collects in fat and tissues, also liver, as one certain B. For me it's nothing else than salty meat, meat all time / large daily amount, if alcohol binge, do you think after year teeth start to loosening without extra vitamins if eats all possible what comes to front.

I'm 100% sure vitamin i.m. injecting / home extra vitamin intake is complete wrong idea and causes all kind of nerve shit whose lead to weird medicines until hip is twisted or something that way. Eating is most important thing to do, all time eating as much as can. Getting weight isn't very conserning if toilet often, but i'm a man and it's easy say few kilos don't matter. In a correct form, IMO eating don't cause vitamin collecting into anywhere if it's all possible normal way. Also giving shit is important, not i.m. vitamin B or synthetic vitamin pills.

 

[burn out]

alcohol doesn't do much permanent damage to the brain, you will recover if you stay off drugs.

 

[Orangutangpsychopa]

Yep, the frontal lobe is a part of the brain, inside the skull. Here's a picture:

Not sure what it would translate to in Finnish, maybe you do call it the Forehead or perhaps Forebrain? And yes you're right, for things like eyes and hands etc, the opposite side of the brain processes the information

Anyway, to answer some of your other questions, yes amphetamines can cause psychosis and lead to schitzophrenia, but not in ALL cases. Schizophrenia has to be underlying in that individual for it to become the fully developed disorder later in life. It can be triggered by amphetamines, or it can develop on its own. But if someone doesn't have the genetic makeup for the disorder, it won't ever develop.
And psychosis can be caused by many different things, including amphetamine abuse. Alcohol abuse can certainly cause psychosis, but it would occur after years of heavy abuse.


iplugpanadol, how are you going now man?

What i was thinking, it could be a flame war about something lontall lobe tamake. It's right side where chemical/molecular damage, espec alcohol does it. It can cause even "wormholes" into brains...Complete shit from dayjob person who checked some statistic and made a conclusion somewhere america places. What is it anyway, one brain cut for schoolbook? Even a drawed one? Maybe from sexy bimbo or student.