Something that Jayhybrid said on one of the other threads got me to thinking about something that has occurred to me several times since my injury. Medications definitely have a more profound effect on me now. Before the injury I could take large amounts of meds and barely be affected. Now they have either huge effects or really strange effects. The first time this was noticed was right after my surgery when they put me on lyrica. At first it made me almost unable to keep my head up because I was so drugged. They lowered my dose to the least they could give me and then it made me have spontaneous O's(as in the big O). The doc said he had never heard of that one but it kind of made sense and that I should enjoy it-- I didn't and went off of it. Since then it has been all kinds of crazy things with meds that I had been on before and had no problems with that all of a sudden made me mean or half crazy or half comatose.
Anyone else notice this?

"Enjoy it!" It never ceases to amaze me how callous doctors can be.

A lot of weird stuff has happened to me since my TBI. In my case, I think it's hard to know what's a med side effect and what's just the injury. I'm inclined to think my outbursts of temper are the result of my mashed frontal lobe. On the other hand, I'm convinced the tegretol for my spinal damage is making my headache worse.

You're raising a really good question here. For the most part, doctors can't honestly explain what many drugs, like SSRIs, do in normal brains. I think when a brain is damaged, all bets are off.

Cheers

I see what you're saying. It's kind of like having two agents that can be volatile when mixed in combination with the wrong things. Our brains have become one of those agents. The other can be certain stresses, chemicals such as meds, or noises (that also does it for me).
The medicine that does it the worst for me is percocet. It took quite a while for me to figure out. Every day while I was in rehab, my therapist said I should take the percocet 30mins before coming to therapy. Being a good patient, I would do that. Pretty much everyday I ended up in an emotional blow up in the therapy session that I seemed to have practically no control over-- even though I swore to myself it wouldn't happen that day. I would be crying uncontrollably or cursing someone out or threatening someone. Invariably, by evening I would be in my room feeling like I had just become Charles Manson. By night I was fine. On the weekends I didn't have therapy scheduled, so I didn't take the percocet unless I had to. My docs just chalked it up to the brain injury but I felt like it was due to the meds because it was far too scheduled like the meds. Outbursts from brain injury don't follow a schedule typically. So, I stopped the percs for a while and the extreme episodes stopped.
I have been given percocet since on trips to the ER(didn't think to ask what I was given until after they were down), same old same old. I don't know why they do that to me. I had those before the injury without such interactions.

Tegretol (carbamazepine) does indeed cause headaches. meningeal irritation and I sufferered from that for years. I actually got used to the pain.
other antiepileptic medication causes the same effect.
I get a queasy feeling when I read of the widespread use of these very powerful drugs. Drugs that can actually CAUSE seizures

Dear, P. Yes indeed, the hypersensitivity to brain injury, stroke in my case, seemed to bring about an almost universal intensity of emotional lability,( or intensified, highly variable, emotional affect). I was part of a stroke support group and part of a center for adult onset disability(brain/neurological disorders). It was pretty much as you described across the board. I suspect drugs act like a catalyst for furthering the issues. It is s Hockey described, all bets are off. Even a friend who has post concussion syndrome is strangely affected. It could also be selective inhibition has been reduced. Especially if injury is frontal cortex. Just remember that the doc works for you, and if he does not respect your reports, find someone who will. Good luck to you... Best Wishes TT

It was good to know that I'm not alone. I'm not around any people who have any issues like us and don't see my physiatrist very often at all and have never seen a neuropsych. To be honest, I haven't really received very good aftercare because of how I got injured. When you get injured during a surgery, it makes for an interesting situation.

Seriously, it's hard to tell what is medication and what is injury. I'm about to just go off of everything and see how I feel. I've been bouncing around from med to med for the past 5 months with nothing really making me feel better. At least if I go off of everything I'll have a baseline to compare to.

HiP, the feeling of landing on another planet and not having any idea of how to deal with the strangeness is totally familiar to anyone who has had a life altering brain injury. No matter what the cause. I wish I could recall the book written by a woman Dr. who had a bike accident and profound brain injury. Something like "Over My Head??". It described so perfectly the many different outcomes in general and her journey to re-build her life in a new way. The main support was a brain recovery center focusing on exactly what was needed for self empowerment. Skills to use when getting overstimulated especially commonly needed. If you go to the library and ask them I am sure you will find some excellent stories which will help validate your particular manifestations. Maybe this book!

As for the doctors, who would rather you remain unaware, unsupported and under- evaluated, this is the typical reaction of folks who are afraid. Once you are empowered through further support, they might be really afraid. From that place you could decide to take, or not take any action against them. The good news, bad news is that there are so many who have similar realities and challenges. It helps to learn all we can about how to maintain the highest possible quality of life.

I know that meant for me to forget the doctor's stupidity and ignorance which contributed to my stroke. The best news is that the center I attended, only one in country, proved repeatedly that if one focused on the skill sets needing attention, the brain can recover even years after the injury. Many docs tell you six months. Do not believe them. They also will like to drug you senseless. Do not be a "good patient" and go along with any plan they present. The other good news is that you do get to be obstinate, irascible and even irrational and get away with it better than folks with no excuses. The bad news is the sense of isolation and overwhelm when dealing with the system which denies it's heartlessness and culpability for creating further suffering is far to common. Doctors hate to admit they know as little as they do, since they play like they know what they are doing.

I hope that you can find the support you deserve. It has certainly been a long, very interesting education for me since '03. I have become a much better, more compassionate person, stronger in ways I could never have imagined. I choose to never quit advocating and learning for my own needs as I become aware of them. It is a process, not a goal. Someday you will have an opportunity to speak up on behalf of someone else and support their right to be heard and validated. I invite you to keep writing and sharing because it matters and adds to the understanding of those who could never imagine what changes have emerged. Best Wishes To You....TT