I have not posted for awhile because I ended up in the hospital.

I thought I had it all figured out that I needed peace and quiet and I would be Ok.

The funny thing is that the world we live in is not quite and there is no peace and quiet, you can run but you cannot hide.

I was in my beach cabin away from everyone and everything, just me and the sound of the heater, the noise from the refrigerator, the wind, the birds, the waves, everything was causing a reaction.

The quieter it was the more I was going insane. I turned off the heater, unplugged the refrigerator, put on my ear muffs and still I was climbing the walls.

I woke up at 3:00 am, having a seizure and it did not stop everything I did it just worse. And the fear of being all by myself did not help, be careful of what you ask for sometimes because you might get it.

I went to the local walk in clinic, and immediately the DR. called 911 and I was taken to the hospital ER (not quiet and peaceful)

In the ER they gave me a sedative that they thought would calm me down not knowing that I have paradoxical reaction to sedivtes it made it worse.

The ER called my husband and when he got there he told the Dr. that I had a reaction to those meds.

After the seizures stopped and the lab reports came back the Dr. said that it looked like I was having “sensory overstimulation seizures” and that my nervous system was in overload.

That I needed to go home and rest and my labs showed that I needed more Ritalin more stimulants that I should double what I am taking now. (Seriously I am already going crazy)

I woke the next morning and the first thing I said was I have a sympathpic nervous breakdown.
Not once in the 4 years of my TBI have I been told that my TBI could be related to a central nervous disorder and that if it was treated in the hospital as sympathetic storming with a diffuse axonal injury, Maybe the last 4 years of suffering could have been reduced.

I started to research TBI and the central nervous system and what I found out is really just simple psychics.

What goes up must come down. Retalin can increase arousal and alertness, improving impulse control and selective attention.

Stimulants, however, can have their problems. After several hours, as the effects wear off, things can get out of balance. For a brief time the person may resemble a car that has lost its steering and brakes but still has the gas petal still stuck to the floor.

Impulse control may decrease but arousal and reactivity may still be high. The stimulus barrier may decrease resulting in increased reactivity and irritability. Outbursts of anger are a frequent side effect of stimulant use, usually occurring during this rebound period that is often in the late afternoon or typically about four to five hours after a dose is taken.

Peak side effects may also result from increased arousal. Higher noradrenaline results in hyper vigilance and the "fight or flight" state. Break through of aggressive outbursts may occur that can be more intense, fueled by the high arousal state.

My question is has anyone tried clonidine for the stimulant rebound over arousal mania and is effective

Hi, Lori who used to post on here has taken clonidine - you could probably send her a message. I think that she used to take it to stop jerking. She took quite a mixture of medication.

I would be wondering if taking the ritalin is worth the after effects. What does your neurologist say about it or did he precribe it for you?

When I went to Australia for my QEEG the neuropsychologist told me that ritalin is not good for head injuries and she told me why and I have forgotten the the reason - yes I know I should have written it down

Keep us posted with your progress

Lynlee

Hi Lopi,

I was worried about you. I'm so sorry for everything you're going through, you dear soul.

I'm not completely surprised that being alone sent your TBI over the brink. When it's completely quite, I can't ignore the ringing in my ears and I start to think I'll go mad.

I don't have any experience (yet?!) with stimulants and TBI. However, another member, "Mark from Idaho" does. If he doesn't chime in on this post, I suggest you send him a private message.

Hang in there - we're all here for you.

Blessings

lopi,

Sorry to hear of your struggles. I have done some of the same things.

I can be driven to madness by the over-stimulation from the ticking of a clock. My wife knows to accept that she may find clocks with the battery out. It ios like somebody has turned the volume up on the clock ticking. My brain just zones in on the ticking.

I take gabapentin (Neurontin) to help with this so I can get by brain to relax so I can sleep. I also have propanolol (anti-hypertensive) to help lower my blood pressure. It has spiked to 190/155. I have not had to take it in a long time because I have learned how to recognize the start of the over-stimulation. I avoid over-stimulation like the plague.

I agree about the struggle with quiet. It only makes the sounds more pronounced. Instead, I try to have a background noise that covers up these clock ticks and other appliance sounds. If I get caught in a problem like you had, I will be miserable to quite some time.

The clonodine is just an anti-hypertensive ( reduces high blood pressure). The Ritalin also sounds suspect.

My recent start with hormone replacement therapy has been very positive. I take bio-identical DHEA and Testosterone and it help me sleep and relax. I was low according to the blood work. I was in the low end of 'normal.' My physician wanted me in the upper end of the normal range. Sure seems to work for me.

HRT sure did wonders for my wife. Her anxiousness was reduced drastically. Over-stimulation is an anxiety reaction. Whether it is due to an adrenal-cortical hyperfunction or some other imbalance, it is exhausting and miserable.

I would highly suggest getting the hormone bloodwork done before starting clonodine or other meds.

My heart goes out to you.