NeuroTalk Support Groups

NeuroTalk Support Groups (https://www.neurotalk.org/)

- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD and CRPS) (https://www.neurotalk.org/reflex-sympathetic-dystrophy-rsd-and-crps-/)

- - Baclofen (https://www.neurotalk.org/reflex-sympathetic-dystrophy-rsd-and-crps-/161574-baclofen.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith (Post 829829)

Mike,

Is CRPS known to have an effect on adrenal hormones (particularly pregnenolone)? I ask because pregnenolone, in recent years, has been touted for improving/restoring cognitive function, though no credible studies have yet supported this claim. I would not recommend/suggest anyone try it without being deficient in the hormone, and without having their doctors' blessings.

I've been taking it because I am deficient, and have my doctor's ok, and it has measurably improved my short-term memory and cognitive function. (Test scores before/after improved 20-25%).

Just a "FWIW"....

Doc

Good question. While there is a relationship between the adrenal hormones and CRPS, I believe it runs in the opposite direction of what you're thinking about.

Stress triggers the release of cortisol which in turn results in selective vasoconstriction/dilation to empower those muscles necessary to propel the body to either move quickly out of the way of danger or do whatever what has to be done. Sort of like Powdermilk Biscuits. In any event, it's the vasoconstriction, on top of what's already going on with the CRPS, that can create immediate pain spikes under emotionally stressful conditions. See, generally, Regulation of peripheral blood flow in complex regional pain syndrome: clinical implication for symptomatic relief and pain management, Groeneweg G, Huygen FJ, Coderre TJ, Zijlstra FJ, BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009 Sep 23;10:116, online text @ http://www.biomedcentral.com/content...474-10-116.pdf

But in terms of whether CRPS can alter the production of pregnenolone, when I ran a PubMed search under "pregnenolone CRPS" I came up with zero hits. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmichael (Post 829850)

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Actually, I was hoping the info might be of help to you. It really boils down to whether one is deficient or not, and if it's standard/common to be tested...

Doc

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmichael (Post 829759)

Hi. That might have been me. I tried it out when I was still working as bankruptcy litigator, and discontinued it after a day and a half because my job required that I might have to remember the details of a phone call I had with opposing counsel two weeks earlier when at the time it wasn't important enough to but in my notes, but later became an issue on which I would have to file a sworn declaration with the court. And it was obvious that Baclofen wasn't playing along.

But once I was no longer working I went on it, where my neurologist advised me that it was the best drug available for CNS spasms and keeping my short-term memory in tip top shape was no longer at the top of my list.

That said even though my shrink put me on neuro-protective drugs (Namenda and Razadyne) as soon as I was diagnosed - 4 months into this - eventually the neurocognitive ravages of CRPS overcame whatever barriers we had erected, on account of which the effects of Baclofen became a drop in the bucket, as my memory (along with what few organizations skills I had) got progressively worse over time, while my Baclofen dose remained constant, at 50 mg/day.

Mike

Yes! It WAS you, Mike - Thank you!
I was concerned enuf to bring this up to my shrink and she too had mentioned Namenda.
The memory shortage has improved since then (for whatever reason), so I haven't pursued the Namenda as of yet.

I appreciate your feedback and references

Rae
:grouphug:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith (Post 829862)

Actually, I was hoping the info might be of help to you. It really boils down to whether one is deficient or not, and if it's standard/common to be tested...

Doc

Hi. I just ran a PubMed search for "pregnenolone cognitive," which produced 44 hits. The best of which was Neurosteroids: deficient cognitive performance in aged rats depends on low pregnenolone sulfate levels in the hippocampus, Vallée M, Mayo W, Darnaudéry M et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Dec 23;94(26):14865-70 online text @ http://www.pnas.org/content/94/26/14865.full.pdf but that was a murine (rat) study and when I pulled up the 135 "related" studies or review articles, they appear to be entirely rat-based as well!

Do you know of any human studies out there?

Who supervised your testing and/or treatment? Are you currently being followed by a neuro-endocrinologist?

And when you say that "it has measurably improved my short-term memory and cognitive function . . . (Test scores before/after improved 20-25%)," what tests are you speaking of, and who performed them?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Mike

vitamin B12: worth noting

November 28, 2011

It Could Be Old Age, or It Could Be Low B12

By JANE E. BRODY

Ilsa Katz was 85 when her daughter, Vivian Atkins, first noticed that her mother was becoming increasingly confused. “She couldn’t remember names, where she’d been or what she’d done that day,” Ms. Atkins recalled in an interview. “Initially, I was not too worried. I thought it was part of normal aging. But over time, the confusion and memory problems became more severe and more frequent.” Her mother couldn’t remember the names of close relatives or what day it was. She thought she was going to work or needed to go downtown, which she never did. And she was often agitated.

A workup at a memory clinic resulted in a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease, and Ms. Katz was prescribed Aricept, which Ms. Atkins said seemed to make matters worse. But the clinic also tested Ms. Katz’s blood level of vitamin B12. It was well below normal, and her doctor thought that could be contributing to her symptoms. . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/he...mic-aging.html