Total fog-brain - PLEASE HELP!!

[GreyGoose]

Hi

I had no idea where to post this so I did a search and this is where most of the posts regarding "foggy brain" showed up and so this is where I decided to post.

A little history first. I had prostatitis and was on Cipro and Levaquin for over two months (this has been just recently) A few days after my last dose of Levaquin, I had a HUGE panic attack and a few days later, a second one. Now, as a long-time sufferer of anxiety, OCD, Hypochondria and depression, this has'nt been my first experience with a panic attack and I'm sure it won't be my last because they run in my family but I'm now wondering if perhaps the Levaquin had something to do with these last two.

Also, just before the panic attacks started to come on really strong I had a mild sore throat that last several days and I did'nt feel so good. Ever since then, my mind has felt what I can only describe as foggy, spacey, inner-ear like dizzy feeling, mind not sharp, thinking not clear, mind feels like a fuzzy tv picture, syrupy, stuporish, soupy, swimming, scrambled, feels like my IQ has dropped 30 points, anesthetized - like my brain has been either pickled in brine or injected with Novacaine or something and my thoughts are somewhat disorganized along with mild memory problems. I am male and in my mid 40's, don't smoke, drink, etc. What is this and what does it all mean?. I mostly feel this way in the evenings and it seems that it's worse when I drink more than two cups of coffee a day. I also get these breif, sharp headaches that come and go.

Am I going nuts?. Do I have mad cow or something?!?!?. Small doses of Lorazepam don't seem to help and Xanax has a horrible "rebound" affect that makes my anxiety even worse when I come down off of it. Anyone else here have the same problem(s) I'm experiencing and how do you cope?.

- Thanks so much!

[Richie]

I definitely had fogginess directly related to the Cipro and Levaquin I was taking, eg I ran a red light for no reason and just could not pay attention. I was "out of it".

For what its worth, this ceased after I stopped the drugs but it took 2-4 weeks.

For the panic attacks, these stopped after I was able to get some good sleep.



Not a Dr./Not medical advice, just my experience.

[londoner]

I think this will definitely pass. I had a similar experience with Ofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin. I think they put your system on a different-to-normal footing but you 'kind of' get used to that until you're off them and then it feels like you've been in solitary confinement for 2 months and are suddenly materialised at a wild party. Just be patient - and good to yourself - and try not to worry. You need to take control - get some good, real food in you, juice etc. and some gentle exercise to get you back in the groove. Forget about your previous obsessional tendencies - you're in a forward motion so don't get hung up on it.

[robertpagen]

I have not taken Cipro, Levaquin or Floxin since the period from May 2000 to late 2002. During that time I was repeatedly, serially prescribed these medicines. Often it was for six weeks at a time. The pain and urinary frequency which I had experienced up until 1999 were but a relative severe inconvenience compared to the mental hammering which I took from these drugs.
Although a detailed reading on these drugs makes it clear that a significant percent of people taking these drugs experience a slight rise in intracranial brain pressure resulting in cognitive and emotional alterations, no doctor at that time warned me of these conditions.
The first Doctor to warn me of these risks was the late, excellent New York urologist Dr John Coleman, who told me specifically that taking more than two of these pills in sequence killed massive amounts of friendly bacteria in the body and that more than that was overkill and risky.
Dr Coleman died in October 2005. He said there is no good reason to not just use doxy, except that the drug companies don't push doxy as it is off patent.
The symptoms which you describe are consistent with what I experienced personally on these drugs. These drugs also brought me to the brink of suicide. My experiences have been covered in prior years posts in more detail if you do a search. There are also ample references on the net to the side effects of FQ antibiotics.

I remain well and wish you the same,

Robert Pagen

[Sleeper Service]

I've been off Cipro for two weeks now and I can tell the difference. I was constantly depressed and tired on Cipro and am glad to be off it, especially as it was of no use whatsoever.

My symptoms are the same, my mental state not and I'm thankful for that.

[joehansen12]

Hang in there! These shall definitely pass. I myself had one BIG panic attack about a month into CPPS. I thought I will definitely go mad. I massaged my head using some hair oil, sat in a hot water tub for 30 minutes, offered a small prayer to God to give me strength, meditated for about 10 minutes and I was back to normal.

I strongly urge you to meditate daily. There are different forms of meditation. If you want to know the form of meditation that I practice, please let me know and I will be glad to pass the info.

Also try shavaasana.
http://www.religiousbook.net/Books/Onli ... es_34.html

Wishing you good health!
Joe.