3 replies to this topic

[pinballwizard]

Basic Summary:

This is my journal of my mental health progress. I am hoping that you can help me make the right decisions and support me on my journey to better mental health.

I believe that I have done a number of things to cause brain damage. I am not new to this forum. I was an avid poster here about 5-7 years ago.

My Goals:
1. Detox—I still have lots of insomnia, occasional headaches, a bit of occasional depression and memory and focusing problems. I don’t really want to take any major supplements right now. I want to rely on natural things to make myself feel better and improve cognition.
2. Find out what I actually did to myself to cause the damage.
3. Find out what parts of my brain/thinking are damaged.
4. Find safe solutions if any—Can I Live a healthy life with risk-free supplementation? Should I just use time and natural means to improve my brain?

I caused brain damage and mental problems in the following ways:
1. First, I was sort of born with it. I have always complained about memory and attention. I was diagnosed with ADD in the 1st grade. I was put on Ritalin in the 7th and 8th grade. I complained about memory in college so much that I gave up drinking for 6 months even though I said I would never drink again.
2. When I was 24 years old, I began taking Propecia. I have taken it for over 10 years. To quote a Neuroendocrinologist, “I wonder if the neuroendocrine link is via the blocking in some men of their brain's 5-alpha-reductase enzyme (Type 1 isoform), even though it is supposed to block only the Type 2 isoform, leading to a reduction in the conversion of progesterone to allopregnanolone, a potent anxiety-reducing agonist of the brain's GABA-A receptor. This decrease in allopreganolone is associated with increased anxiety, which can secondarily cloud attention and concentration.” (http://www.propeciah...php?f=24&t=3521)
3. I was a big coffee drinker and I have stressed myself (think cortisol) out in my 20s.
4. I had an adverse reaction to Cipro. I am not sure if that directly caused my mental issues but it’s a possibility (click here) Cipro did other things to me. I got severe tendonitis and arthritis all over my body as well as chronic fatigue and insomnia from Cipro. All this made me depressed.
5. Because of the Cipro related insomnia, I started taking Ambien and sleep medications in 2008-2010, albeit intermittently. But there were other times I took ambien even before I was sick. Ambien has been known to cause memory problems.
6. Because of the Cipro related pain, I started taking Vicodin for about 3 years now with a few months of breaks. Interestingly, I don’t have withdrawels when I stop taking it.
7. Because of the Cipro, I started taking Paxil for depression which is known to cause memory problems. I took it for about a year.
8. Because of the Cipro, I would take over the counter sleep medications like diphenhydramine (Sominex) on occasion. It says that on the bottle. It causes memory problems.
9. Finally, I have I started taking a supplement called Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Somatomax which has Phenibut, L-dopa, L-arginine HCL, L-tyrosine, L-phenylaline, and B-6. I believe that taking it 90% of the time every day for 5 months did some major damage. Maybe I over did the l-dopa and it caused damage. I slept like a baby and it finally cured me of my cipro related tendonitis throughout my body, but it affected my memory and I began to lose hair and wake up in the middle of the night in sweats or gasping for air. The stuff has been so addictive, it’s been very difficult to wean myself off. In the beginning it felt awesome to be on this stuff. I was able to finally stop taking pain killers after a week on this stuff. My weight lifting trainer said that I should not be on an HGH (Human Growth Hormone promoter) for more than 3 months. My doctor said that I should wean myself off slowly and that is what I am doing.

Notice how I am plagued by taking prescribed authorized drugs. Western medicine can be a poison. These OTC drugs and supplements can be bad too! I don't even trust the nootropics after this even though I have already taken them all in the past and generally liked them.

Do any of you have any thoughts on the drugs I took?

[pinballwizard]

5-23-11

Email to the Doctor:

Dear Dr,


I just wanted to give you a brief status update.
Currently, my memory and concentration is really bad. Its quite remarkable actually. I have trouble recalling memories, recognizing stuff, and creating new memories.
I have a hard time doing complex tasks. I also get lots of headaches especially if I am on the computer any length of time but also at night. I have been taking a low dose vicodin for this.


I am not sleeping well, but last night for the first time, I got to sleep without any sleep aids.
I casually spoke to a Doctor who specializes in anti-aging at the gym today. I told him I thought Somatomax (http://www.amazon.co...g/dp/B000XWQ62G)made me feel great but eventually started to make me awful and I suspected it as the culprit. He said he would check it out, but that l-dopa is not smart to take because it can mess if the endogenous(?) areas of the brain and he says its stupid that diabetic patients are taking that now. It down regulates dopamine.

Bottom line: 1.) I think you are right. My problem might be a hormone thing. And this may cure the fairly constant fatigue and physical pain I have been feeling for the last 3-4 years. 2) Even though I felt cured and great for a few months, for whatever reason taking Somatomax long-term might have been a bad idea for my brain. 3) I want to know more. It could have been an interaction or something else. I was taking a lot of stuff. I don't want to take any of the wrong substances anymore. I was taking a bunch of other things. 4) I feel aweful. So, I want to visit with you over the phone or in person.

Sincerely,

Pinballwizard

Edited by pinballwizard, 26 May 2011 - 07:11 AM.

[pinballwizard]

So, Over the last few days, I have had horrible headaches all day long. My memory and focus is just as bad as it has been these last few weeks. I spoke to my doctor on the phone today. He recommended alternatives to Somatomax. We both think that my physical pain will go away if I get my HGH levels up again.

Here are the alternatives:

http://ghpsport.org/
http://secratatropinhgh.com/

My trainer recommended a supplement called PowerFull. 2 of these 3 have L-dopa. Plus I also heard that hgh prescriptions are pretty hard to come by and are extremely regulated by the FDA and cost $1,000 / month. F*&!@ y$u American Health system. So it seems that if

I have been taking a pretty constant stream of vicodin for headaches because they have been pretty excruciating. 3x today at 7.5 mg of the vicodin. I would occasionally take a low dose of the somatomax until the supplement arrives.

My doctor thinks my mental issues are going to take a long time to heal. He wants to test my neurotransmitters even though its not an FDA test.

Edited by pinballwizard, 26 May 2011 - 07:28 AM.

[pinballwizard]

5/25/

I told my MD that I took neurotransmitter test a couple years ago. He told me that he would like to see the 2 year old results. And, I told him that I had some reservations about it because it was not FDA approved. He acknoweledged me for that. But, we will go forward and take the test again.

The old test:
http://www.longecity...__1#entry355553