Mental Heath/Memory

[metsfan723]

First i am a 31 year old male who was in perfect heath till the end of 2007. Then i got this really weird attack the following happened:
numbness in hands and legs,
shortness of breath
screaming
felt like something changed in my brain
memory problems short and long
feel outside my body constantly
erection probelms and ejaculation
blurred vision in left eye went to eye doc not optic neritus
had MRI with contrast Clean brain and CT and nothing.
to this day i feel different in my brain like it is not there and my mind is not racing, have trouble forming thoughts,and cannot remember what i did 5 minutes ago and get lost with days of the week. cannot think ahead or back. mental slowness I feel weird in the front of my head like not connected. Went to psyc they have no idea. been to 3 Neruos they dont know. All blood fine.. Can you figure out what the heck it could be
Thanks

[jay0704]

I am a 41 year old woman with a very lengthy history of opiate abuse; heroin primarily, then later pain pills. I finally found Suboxone and it has worked miracles for me. I have been using it for maintenance for close to 3 years . After complaining to my doc about a lack of energy 2 years into my maintenance program he put me on Adderal. In the beginning I liked it. I lost weight (didn't need to but that's a whole different issue). I did not abuse it and I still do not abuse it as that was not my drug of choice. I felt that it helped with my memory problems that were a result of my habitual drug abuse. I was also taking Prozac and had been for over 8 years. Now I am on Paxil and I have gained 20 lbs. I have numbness in my arms and legs and it is getting worse. My depression (clinically diagnosed at age 11 before any drug use) has worsened. I should also mention that my husband just died on May 24, 2008 and I have a two year old little guy; my son-the light of my life. I know the difference between clinical and situational depression. I feel as though I am experiencing clinical depression primarily. Of course I have a great deal of situational depression as well, but the numbness is so painful. With the cocktail that I am precscribed be the cause of these symptoms. If so, what else can I take for depression?

Feeling Hopeless,
J

[Zeid]

Hi,
Do you have close friends? please tell us about their opinion of what is going on with you. cos they can tell more about you.

Take care,

Zeid

[metsfan723]

What other physical explanation could there be?  I have had every test in the book...

also i was tested 2x for lyme disease and nothing........

the screaming came out of nowhere, jumping up and screaming on that horrible night 2x...

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

although there still may be some physical explanation for these symptoms, this is a familiar description of a kind of anxiety/panic situation.  Of course it might be some obscure inflammation in your brain, but given the test you have that sounds implausible.  Ask your doctor to give you a trial period with klonopin or xanax, and watch closely what happens with your symptoms.

[dylan357]

Hey, bud, I can relate to some of what you are describing.  It seems that all of these symptoms began with a single episode.  Were there any foreshadowing symptoms?  Was there anything especially stressful going on OR had happened but was over in your life?  You also did not mention whether or not you were put on any meds for anxiety or any other condition.  Other symptoms are unclear.  For example, is the screaming an involuntary act?  Can you indentify an area of your brain where it feels different?  Do your current sexual dysfunction problems seem physical or caused by performance anxiety.  That is, if you are able to have an erection and ejaculate in certain situations but not in others, that would suggest the problem may not be physical.  (Of course, certain meds can have an affect here too.)

Also, in my experience ALL bloodwork seems very subjective.  I am reminded of an episode of "Mystery Diagnosis" where a man had many severe episodes and trips to the ER (some of his symptoms were similar to yours) and NONE of the doctors found anything wrong.  FINALLY, one doctor recognized his symptoms as Lyme Disease and sure enough, there had been a tick bite on his scalp.  He had to undergo a long treatment program of anitbiotics and eventually recovered.  For him, that was the explanation of the sudden onset of his symptoms and radical changes in his behavior.

I am not a doctor but I feel for you my man,  Keep me posted.