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Overdose Caused Neurological Damage

Unlucky

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
594
I developed a neurological condition and unusual and abnormal temperature problems following an overdose on MDMA and speed 7 years ago. I had been taking drugs for many years at raves untill one day something went horribly wrong. Unfortunately to this day neurologist or specialist have not been able to solve my overheating problem as what happened to me is very rare and uncommon.

It all started when I was having sex high on a coctail of meth and ecstacy when suddenly I dint feel right, I went numb all over from the severe overheating, I had never felt so hot and uncomfortable before, my vision went dark and blury and I felt erratic, confused. It felt like death. Every breath seemed like I was breathing in ammonia or some sort of chemical fumes it was short and sharp. I immedeatly ran to the bathroom feeling and thinking that it would be the day I die. I jumped under the cold shower. This helped slightly except for the muscle spasms. As soon as I got out of the shower I began to overheat again, so I went back under and stayed there for an hour or two until I managed to cool down slightly. Eventually when i got out I was suprised that I had survived.

Several weeks later following that experience I went to rave where I decided to try the smallest amount of speed, I thought the overdose I had experienced previously was just bad lucksor one off experience, but to my Shock and horror even a the tiniest taste of meth brought back the overheating. I dint understand what was going on especially after years of taking drugs and having good experiences, and now this ?!?

I dint wanna accept that i'd developed some sort of drug allergy or sensitivity so once again the following week I very cautiosly tried a quarter of an ecstacy tablet which was said to be quite mild by my friends. That night I had sever chest pains and overheating once again and was taken to hospital. The next day upon release from hospital when i tried to walk I continued to have chest pains since, this was the start of something that would last for years.

Eventually after getting diagnosed by specialists and neurologists I had found i developed a condition known as dysautonomia (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system) along with a very bizarre overheating problem. The unfortunate incident left me overheating with unstable body temperatures. I was constantly overheating, even in winter. I couldn't go out into the sun or warm places. My body was generating so much heat that i spent a lot of time indoors trying to cool down with the aid of an air conditioner. I lost the ability to sweat which added to the problem.

I've had several visits to the hospital emergency room since with fevers and high temperatures caused by the damage from the seretonin syndrome or od. Each one mainly after sexual activity. The worst being documented at 38.1c (100.6 f). There was no infections or any other problems present at the time.

My temperature dysfunction had began after the drug overdose whilst having sex and as bizarre as it sounds the overdose caused the initial damage and started the autonomic failure and then a few days later climaxing during sex further malfunctioned my temperature and left me with many years of overheating.
Further sexual activity continued aggrivate and distrupt my temperature by causing rapidly fluctuating unstable temperatures, feeling uncomfartably hot, nauseaus and unwell.
I also experience, chills, rapid pulse, shivering and severe muscle spasm particularly in jaw and thighs every time i get aroused.

If anyone has any advice or has heard of any other people with similar problems please let me know. At the moment I feel very alone in this. Like i said ive been diagnosed with a autonomic illness but the overheating still remains unknown. My autonomic specialist have also found genetic changes to my DNA which has been methylated by the binding protein MeCP2 as a result of the dysautonomia.
 
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Thanks Stygian8Angel , Im about to try an experimental drug trialed by a group research scientists to combat mdma induced hyperthermia. I have only just found out about it recently and contacted them from a website and awaiting for my next apointment with the neurologist to discuss it. Apparently it may have the potential to reduce my temperature back to normal.
 
This sounds very much like a:

Basolateral Amygdala --(via central nucleus efferents?)--> Periaqueductal Grey and Hippocamus

style response. 'Hessian' modification (entrained for MDMA/methamphetamine as a pharmacological trigger) combined with the very quck conditioning for 'fear'-related responses in the amygdala's efferents (PAG for behavioral/sexual, and hippocampus for the thermoregulatory problem).

Tried any neurofeedback therapy?

(http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/1074/1/643 at least shows that maybe amygdaloid-'stress' can do the (probably) PAG-rearing behavior fuck-ups, though not the most relevant paper I could image)
 
Been to an endocrinologist? The after-sex connection makes me think hormones may be exacerbating a rare neurological anomaly induced by amphetamines and/or MD-x compounds.

The initial symptoms sound like those of a stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), perhaps affecting areas of the brain leungkachong pointed out.

I'm sure you've been through all this already with your practitioners, but just thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Best of luck to you in any event. :)
 
Thanks leungkachong and tobala, From what I understand the temperature problems arise from the preoptic area in the hypathalamus which is a very tiny section in the brain stem. any damage thats occured in there would be very difficult to diagnose i guess.

tobala..I was thinking along the same lines as you, so an Endocrinologist was one of the first I went to see about 6 years ago. I thought he'd be the right person as my overheating symptoms flared up during sex and orgasm and arousal so naturally I assumed it had to do with hormones and brain chemicals.

But to my suprise he seemed overwhelmed at the consultation and told me I'd be better of with a Neurologist instead, so I havent gone back to an Endocrinologist since. So maybe its time i found another to get a second opinion.
Thanks for your suggestion
 
I definitely think you should see another endocrinologist. Some of these guys are:

1. Inept
2. Lazy
3. Unwilling to take cases that eat into their insurance compensation vs. time ratio.

They're like mechanics. One guy changes a lot of parts and never fixes the problem, another guy zeros in with the right diagnosis because he has the knowledge, skill, and compassion to do it.

The guy should have at least done a comprehensive serum hormone panel before declaring that it's not an endocrine issue.

BTW, you never mentioned your gender, but intuition tells me that females have a much more complicated reproductive hormonal system and thus may be more predisposed to the syndrome you've described.

EDIT: You also mentioned anhidrosis. Here's some info from http://www.mamashealth.com/skin/anhidrosis.asp

What is Anhidrosis?

Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat in response to heat.

People with anhidrosis have a dangerous inability to tolerate heat. In situations where the weather is dry and hot, the inability to sweat can be life threatening. Anhidrosis can be life threatening because the body will overheat. If the lack of sweating is localized, it is usually not as dangerous.

Anhidrosis may go unrecognized until a substantial amount of heat or exertion fails to cause sweating.

Anhidrosis is also referred to as decreased sweating.

What Causes Anhidrosis?

Some common causes of anhidrosis are:

* neurologic disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome
* heatstroke
* diabetes
* congenital disorders including as ectodermal dysplasia
* drugs and medications
* hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia
* autonomic neuropathy
* infections of sweat glands
* trauma to sweat glands
* burns
* excessive dehydration
 
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Cheers tobala! i appreciate your efforts to help. =D

I am male by the way and your very right on the attitude of physicians these days. youve given me the motivation to try an endocronoligist again.

Your also precise on the Anhidrosis, i hadnt heard about the general name for the condition but from the list of what causes it, mine fits directly into the ones uve highlighted in bold, particularly autonomic neuropthay which cause the majority of my symptoms including the inability to sweat.

What concerns me is though that with autonomic neuropthay or dysfunctions people only have the heat tolerance and unable to sweat but they dont experience the overheating during colder climates in winter as i have been. So I have an additional mysterious symptom and deep down I'm certain and know its related to the drug od, the sensitivities i developed towards chemical, the sexual activity and arousal. But how and why I dont know.
 
Well 5HT is important in thermoregulation and neurotoxicity of MDMA & meth is massively increased by raised temp. It may well be that taking any drug that causes serotonin release make your hypothalamus reset the thermostat due to increased sensituivity from the episode you describe.

That seem the most likely cause as far as I can see. In a way, you should count yourself lucky as that sort of hyperthermia with MDMA can easily cause rhabdomyalysis (muscle breakdown), the myoglobin released as a consequence fucking your kidneys very seriously. Along with abnormal clotting reactions (during hyperthermia the blood clotting cascade will initiate if you even look at it the wrong way), that's what causes a lot of damage from MDMA overdoses
 
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Wow fastandbulbous, I am very impressed i must admit, "hypothalamis reset the thermostat " were pretty much the exact words my neurologist used in his theory of what may have happened. Maybe him an you might be on to something.

Yep, and ive always considered myself very lucky to be still around if only you could know the extent of what I experienced and the things ive been through. In all my 10 year history of drug use on a weekend basis I had not even come remotely close to experiencing such severe reactions I did that day.
 
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I had also been told ny my Neurologist that the hypothalamus had possibly set the bar a little higher than normal after the reset which may be the reason for my allivated temperature.

The hospital on the other hand was convinced that perhaps I had some sort of an infection causing my fever like temperature readings that they observed, but soon after they did extensive blood , chest, and various tests which all came back negative for infections then they also realised that I had some sort of of a thermoregulatory malfunction.

By the way I'm not familiar with 5HT, if this was responsible is there any way I can reverse or fix the problem ?
 
I'm not just a pretty face! (I'm not even that if I'm honest! =D)

If that's the case, then you will be sensitive to any drug that increases the levels of synaptic serotonin, which means that you'll have to be incredibly careful about any recreational drugs you might consider using - and if you find that you're heading in that direction again, sod social convention, it's off with the shirt & trousers (leave hoggers on!) and covering your body with cool water while in front of a fan until an ambulance can pick you up. That's how they deal with the hyperthermia from amphetamine OD (there are drugs that can be given in hospital to get your temp under control - dantrolene I think, but memory is very hazy on the matter).

It's a real pain that you have to be so vigilant because of this, but it could have been much worse; at least you're still here to warn others

PS sorry 5HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) is another name for serotonin
 
fastandbulbous said:
you'll have to be incredibly careful about any recreational drugs you might consider using

Lol, no offence but if i ever wanted to commit suicide id only have to try the tiniest amount of meth or e or something.

Since i developed autonomic neuropathy i have severe reactions to second hand smoke(weird considering that i used 2 smoke a lot of weed and cigarettes), chemical smells/fumes, food allergies, I can't even try the the new medications my specialist have suggested for me.
Im due to have suregery soon on my knee and the biggest concerns at the moment are the anesthesia which ive been told could kill me due to the sensitivity and the post op pain killers which may also be a problem.
So as u can imagine me doing drugs isnt an option anymore.
 
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u might have missed this as we posted at the same time of 14.54 so il repost :)
 
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Ask to talk to the anaesthesiologist - he should be able to put your mind at rest that they have things prepared in case of such an eventuality (the sort of set up for dropping patients temp to a sort of suspended animation for delicate brain surgery).

Only thing is, unless your in a country with something along the lines of our NHS (I'm in UK), it's going to be one hell of a medical bill - your health insurance company might get snotty about such things
 
Thanks for the tip. I'm in Australia and being on a healthcare and disabilty income support it wont be any problems with costs.
 
Funny story..... I went to a rave last year cause i had missed it so much after 6 years. I obviously dint take any substances cause of my condition and was already overheating at the time since the damage i suffered.

Well 5 minutes into dancing my temperature became even more elevated and lot worse , I was like a sponge I absorbed the heat and I couldnt cool down or shake it off even after resting. I felt confused and my heart was pounding from the overheating i felt like i was about to pass out, i immedeately went to the st.johns ambulance service located at the rave who are there mainly for the emergincies related to drug use.

I had the hardest time convincing them that i hadn't taken anything, ironically my symptoms matched those of a person experiencing side effects or an od off drugs. They keapt saying "its ok u can be honest with us, we wont tell the police" I had to repeat myself over and over saying " i don't do drugs anymore its just that my body is messed up I have a medical condition" eventually they believed me when i showed them my disabilty card.
 
Strange. Your mention of hypersensitivity to smoke and fumes reminds me of a condition I contracted about 15 years ago called "Reactive Airway Disease."

It's an inflammatory response induced in nonsmokers by 2nd-hand smoke. I went to about 4 doctors, 3 of which looked very confused and the last knew immediately what it was and how to fix it. It took 6 months to resolve, but it hasn't visited me since.

So I'm wondering if there is an autoimmune component to your symptoms as well:

Sex/rave/smoke/fume stimuli >> hormone release >> autoimmune response >> inflammation of thermoregulatory tissue in the brain.

Pure speculation.
 
Maybe it is something as simple as a thyroid problem. If your thyroid is malfunctioning and producing too much thyroxine (Hyperthyroidism) you will literally feel like your on fire (in extreme cases). Get your thyroid checked ^^.
 
Actually Jiggly, that was what I was thinking as a possibility....but I would have thought it something a GP/neurologist would have ruled out as a matter of course during the initial consultations with blood workups, etc.

But who knows?
 
Thanks for the suggestion Jiggly, its also one of the first things I had checked out as I thought along the same lines as you but the results dont show any problmems with thyroid.

Tobala, your suggestions have given me a fresh outlook on things. I looked up on the net for " inflammation of thermoregulatory tissue in the brain" which i think is pretty close to what i may be experiencing, unfortunately nothing as such came up on the search . So i modified it slightly and searched for " inflmmation preoptic (Preoptic is the tiny section in the hypothalamus that regulates body temperature), suprisingly enough the search came up with information regarding this, which im yet to read.

Thanks for the tip. =D
 
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