Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS).


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Old 02-21-2018, 02:30 PM #1
BenW BenW is offline
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Mark I just spent a lot of money on an appointment at this super fancy concussion clinic. They essentially told me the exact same thing you've been telling me in the past weeks except they charge 250$ for a session lol. I must say your knowledge on the topic is very up credible and up to date and this website is very lucky to have you to guide its members.

For anyone curious the doctor told me various things but three things stand out to me as possibly helpful to others on here.

1. Anxiety plays a huge factor in concussion recovery. They said in many people the brain is mostly recovered from the initial injury but the anxiety alone and the constant desire to track and monitor symptoms makes pcs last much longer than it should. She also said anxiety puts a lot of stress on the brain and slows down healing.

2. Minor things like the jarring from walking, bumby car rides, small head bumps or any other minor thing like that that triggers symptoms is not actually causing damage to the brain even if they trigger symptoms. She said anxiety again can play a big part in prolonging these relapses of symptoms. Also the only thing that could cause more damage would be something like a hard collision or impact when partaking in a sporting event or something like a car crash. Basically if there's no hard impact to the head or violent collision of the body from an external force, it's not enough to cause damage.

3. On the topic of cte, she said its really only a significant risk in people like professional athletes who suffer continuous impacts every week for years on end or people who suffer many bad concussions on top of each other without giving the brain a chance to heal much at all. She also said this topic is getting sensationalized in the media a lot recently and that it's not as common as people make it seem and that the majority of even professional athletes go on to live normal lives with no significant issues after they're playing careers are over. I guess cte is still something I worry since I played hockey my whole life but, besides last year, the significant impacts I received were pretty far and few between so I'll try not to worry about it too much for now.
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Old 02-25-2018, 11:38 PM #2
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I'm curious, did they mention any advice on how to properly handle anxiety?

Do anti-anxiety meds help speed recovery?
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Old 02-26-2018, 01:42 AM #3
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For some, anti-anxiety drugs are a necessary evil. Benzos are not suggested. They have too many negatives. First, one wants to do everything possible without drugs to reduce anxiety. Some need an SSRI or SNRI or tetracyclic med to settle down so they can stabilize their life a bit.

Some feed their anxiety by refusing to reduce the intensity of their lifestyle or the demands they put on themselves. No meds will overcome that.

One should try to journal all of the sources of anxiety and the triggers that make it worse plus assess daily activity levels. If one was living an intense and stressful life before the concussion, these issues will be more challenging.
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Old 02-26-2018, 12:34 PM #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QWERTY02 View Post
I'm curious, did they mention any advice on how to properly handle anxiety?

Do anti-anxiety meds help speed recovery?
Yah they seemed to think that anxiety played a big role in prolonging concussion symptoms in many people. I can't speak for whether or not they would have suggested it to others but for me they said an ssri would be greatly beneficial. I am going for another appointment in a couple weaks and guessing they will prescribe me Elavil however I'm not yet sure if I will start taking it since I have certain reservations regarding these kinds of medications.

I think it should be a personal decision. If you feel as if your anxiety can be managed through things like therapy, excersise and making proactive decisions to reduce stress in your life then that would definitely be ideal. If your anxiety is so debilitating that you see no way out or possibility it will improve on its own then medication may be necessary, like Mark said.
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Old 02-26-2018, 12:36 PM #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho View Post
For some, anti-anxiety drugs are a necessary evil.
We've had this conversation before; what exactly makes anti-anxiety drugs, evil?

I can see how anxiety would be a deterrent to recovery and/or a reason why PCS persists (or potentially the cause of).
However, if that theory were true, why aren't anti-anxiety medications an automatic treatment route if symptoms don't clear within a few weeks?
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Old 02-26-2018, 05:35 PM #6
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The different anti-anxiety drugs interrupt normal brain chemistry. Benzos sedate the brain. SSRIs and SNRIs and tricyclic and tetracyclic drugs try to modify serotonin and norepinephrine functions. Brain nutrition and supplements can accomplish some of the same things drugs do without the side effects. Trading symptoms is something one must consider. As a necessary evil, the side-effects of meds may be less of a problem that the symptoms and limitations of unrestrained anxiety.

But, the non-drug ways of reducing anxiety should be implemented first so drugs, if needed, can be at minimum dose. I spent 14 years on an SSRI. It resolved one serious issue but caused a few others. I am glad to be off and function much better even though I still have over-stimulation issues.

Each drugs has discontinuation data in the literature. It shows how many discontinued the drug because the side effects were not tolerable. Sexually active people might find the bedroom turning into no man's land because of what some drugs do to sexual functions.
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Old 03-05-2018, 04:18 PM #7
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My friend says that neuro feedback has helped her immensely with identifying anxiety triggers. She said once she knew where the stress was coming from it was easier to sort out.
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