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Member
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 267
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 267
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medication worth a shot!
I am not on Cymbalta but I've recently started taking Effexor (very small dose of 37.5mg) and I can also say that it helps with noise and light sensitivities, dizziness, brain fog, being able to go out and busy places, concentration, etc.
Mokey, you should give it a shot! Look up anxiety symptoms and you will see that almost all of your symptoms are also anxiety symptoms. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the issues aren't because of the concussion, I'm just saying that concussions cause anxiety and depression because the emotion centre is damaged. The anxiety/depression causes the body to overreact to stimulation.
The brain will only grow new pathways if it is challenged to grow stronger (like a muscle that needs to be challenged to get bigger) and if the emotions are always overreaction and not allowing you to do an activity, then the brain will not get stronger. If you can calm down the symptoms not only will you feel better but your brain will start to heal and get stronger.
The other thing to remember is that there is NO harm at all being done to your brain or body and these reactions are OVERREACTIONS that are not needed. You do not need to fight or flee. You have to retrain your mind that everything is ok and there is nothing to be afraid of or reacting to. Of course this is not the case for people in the early stages of concussion recovery! They should just be resting!
Anxiety and depression aren't just feelings like "oh poor me I'm so sad"or "I can't do this anymore" they are actual physical, chemical responses that are occurring whether we know it or not and we can't control them just by thinking happy thoughts or wishing them away! Sometimes medication is needed.
I hope I've explained this well enough. My neuropsych did a good job of explaining it to me but I'm sure some of it's been lost in translation. Anyhow, don't be afraid of the medication if it could be life changing! If it doesn't work you can always stop taking it but if it does work you could get your life back!
I was experiencing some nausea and stomach pains from my effexor but at the one week mark now those are mostly gone. I am having no other side effects. I'm supposed to double the dose at 10 days but I'm pretty happy at this dose so might experiment with it here for a while.
I hope everyone is having a good day!
CC
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I'm a 39 year old, female, accountant. On July 2, 2012 I crashed my bike at the end of a 65KM road ride. I was fine that day but woke up the next morning to my current world.
Ongoing symptoms include: dizziness, blurred vision, light and noise sensitivities, cognitive problems, uncontrollable emotions/depression/anxiety, headaches (but they're getting better), mental and physical fatigue, difficulty communicating and sleep disturbances.
Currently seeing a fabulous Neuro Psychologist and vestibular physiotherapist and hoping to soon see a neuro ophthalmologist. I am currently doing 20 minute stationary bike rides daily, 20 minutes of meditating, 15 minutes of Lumosity and lots of resting. I have not been able to work or drive since the accident.
The things that have helped me the most since the accident are vestibular therapy, gel eye drops (for blurred vision, sensitivity and dryness), amitriptyline (10mg), and meditating. I am finally starting to see some slight improvements and am hopeful!
My brain WANTS to heal itself... I just have to let it and stop trying to get better!
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