BrainFogStorm

[hapl808]

I know this has been discussed in many ways, but just trying to think about some different approaches. Feeling bad so might be a bit disjointed…

One of my absolute worst symptoms is the brain fog headache and reflux that happens after any cognitive exertion. The more enjoyable, the worse the symptoms. A fun engaging computer problem - awful. Long phone call with a friend - awful. Random mindless TV (rewatching a show - fine), scrolling through Reddit mindlessly - fine.

My symptoms are specifically a weird brain fog feeling that comes on after 20+ mins usually, and feels exactly like the headache I would get when I was younger from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

It's hard to concentrate, a dull headache starts, a slight bit of nausea (that usually precedes acid reflux). If I don't stop immediately, the next day is pretty bad, and the following day is awful.

I worked a bit on a computer thing yesterday. Maybe 40 minutes total. Last night I slept almost 9 hours, although did wake up as usual (and think about how much I disliked this version of my life). Still, that's more sleep than I used to get when I was healthier.

My Garmin only went from 5 to 8, even though I didn't feel too awful when I woke up. But now the headaches are starting, and any further concentration makes it worse quickly.

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION:

What different approach could I use to try to improve this symptom?

I've tried a lot of stuff of course. Some things make the reflux a bit more bearable, some take the edge off the headache. Some 'maybe' give me a slightly better threshold for concentration (ginkgo, rhodiola, maca, etc), but honestly it's not a noticeable difference - might be imaging since I think it's supposed to help.

Things I've tried that did nothing or maybe helped a bit: mangesium (many forms), NAC, fenugreek, hawthorn, NAG, curcumin, rhodiola, maca, kudzu, CoQ10, inosine, citrulline, methyl B, PEA, allicin, LOLA, taurine, quercetin, and on and on.

Things I've tried that helped initially but made it much worse: modafinil, large amounts of caffeine.

Things I haven't tried: various other types of stimulants or racetams or ?

ANY NEW IDEAS?

 

[Sarouna70]

I know this has been discussed in many ways, but just trying to think about some different approaches. Feeling bad so might be a bit disjointed…

One of my absolute worst symptoms is the brain fog headache and reflux that happens after any cognitive exertion. The more enjoyable, the worse the symptoms. A fun engaging computer problem - awful. Long phone call with a friend - awful. Random mindless TV (rewatching a show - fine), scrolling through Reddit mindlessly - fine.

My symptoms are specifically a weird brain fog feeling that comes on after 20+ mins usually, and feels exactly like the headache I would get when I was younger from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

It's hard to concentrate, a dull headache starts, a slight bit of nausea (that usually precedes acid reflux). If I don't stop immediately, the next day is pretty bad, and the following day is awful.

I worked a bit on a computer thing yesterday. Maybe 40 minutes total. Last night I slept almost 9 hours, although did wake up as usual (and think about how much I disliked this version of my life). Still, that's more sleep than I used to get when I was healthier.

My Garmin only went from 5 to 8, even though I didn't feel too awful when I woke up. But now the headaches are starting, and any further concentration makes it worse quickly.

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION:

What different approach could I use to try to improve this symptom?

I've tried a lot of stuff of course. Some things make the reflux a bit more bearable, some take the edge off the headache. Some 'maybe' give me a slightly better threshold for concentration (ginkgo, rhodiola, maca, etc), but honestly it's not a noticeable difference - might be imaging since I think it's supposed to help.

Things I've tried that did nothing or maybe helped a bit: mangesium (many forms), NAC, fenugreek, hawthorn, NAG, curcumin, rhodiola, maca, kudzu, CoQ10, inosine, citrulline, methyl B, PEA, allicin, LOLA, taurine, quercetin, and on and on.

Things I've tried that helped initially but made it much worse: modafinil, large amounts of caffeine.

Things I haven't tried: various other types of stimulants or racetams or ?

ANY NEW IDEAS?

I am better with spirulina.
I wish you energy and hope

 

[maddietod]

Maybe work on taking pressure off everywhere you can, and see if it then takes more to trigger your brain fog headaches. I have "LES" which is sort of not-GERD. I sleep on a 7" incline pad and avoid all of the GERD foods. Because I don't wake up from clearing my throat, I sleep a little better, which improves everything.

A few months ago I had my first experience of brain on fire, and I took homeopathic Gelsemium 30c a few times a day. It helped immediately.

Have you played with cutting out the mindless TV and Reddit for a few days, and seeing if that increases your tolerance for phone calls and problem solving?

 

[hapl808]

Maybe work on taking pressure off everywhere you can, and see if it then takes more to trigger your brain fog headaches. I have "LES" which is sort of not-GERD. I sleep on a 7" incline pad and avoid all of the GERD foods. Because I don't wake up from clearing my throat, I sleep a little better, which improves everything.

My reflux may be LES or hypersecretion or some weird combo. I also sleep on an incline and have experimented with foods. The incline definitely helps, but the foods don't seem to help in the ways I would expect. But again - if I don't do any cognitive exertion, I can actually sleep flat and be fine. So the cognitive exertion seems to trigger something which weakens LES function?

I'll have to look at the Gelsemium - not familiar with homeopathic stuff.

I've tried doing that with cutting out mindless TV. It helps a bit, but the only thing that really increases my tolerance is cutting out all phone calls and problem solving. Which is kinda at the opposite end - the less I of the thing do, the higher my threshold for the thing.

But that doesn't help much, because then if I do more I end up back where I started. I've tried longer periods of doing nothing and I feel physically better, but it plateaus very fast - no continuous improvement. And I find doing nothing worsens my mood, of course. Not sure what to do on that.

 

[maddietod]

I'm trying to imagine how cognitive exertion would exacerbate reflux...this is quite a puzzle! I don't see how the connection could be direct, which is why I keep coming back to the idea that when you over-do in general, you experience headaches and your esophageal valves open inappropriately. I don't know enough about physiology to have ideas about how this would work.

Maybe you're describing a pacing problem. Maybe the amount of energy required for phone conversations has increased, but you didn't notice. Could you tell people that you're doing an experiment where you only stay on the phone for xx minutes at a time, and stick to it? Same with computer problem solving?

 

[hapl808]

I'm trying to imagine how cognitive exertion would exacerbate reflux...this is quite a puzzle! I don't see how the connection could be direct, which is why I keep coming back to the idea that when you over-do in general, you experience headaches and your esophageal valves open inappropriately. I don't know enough about physiology to have ideas about how this would work.

Yeah, it makes no sense to me. Only realized it was happening after years of thinking it was all food related. When COVID started, I ended up eating at home, never ordering out, and started eating the exact same thing daily in order to remove food from the equation.

If it weren't happening to me, I'd dismiss it as impossible. I've tried working on cognitive problems while distracting myself with Youtube, meditating, deep breathing, theanine and passion flower, or whatever. Doesn't seem to matter. The more concentration something takes, the worse it affects me. Distracting myself can delay it a bit (maybe I can work halfway on a problem for 40 mins instead of fully concentrating for 20 mins).

Maybe you're describing a pacing problem. Maybe the amount of energy required for phone conversations has increased, but you didn't notice. Could you tell people that you're doing an experiment where you only stay on the phone for xx minutes at a time, and stick to it? Same with computer problem solving?

I've tried it with the phone, and it 'works' I guess, but that's my issue. If I do two calls for 30 mins each and don't 'engage' too much in the conversation (avoid joking around or laughing a lot), then I'm okay. But that's a huge limit on my life being housebound for years and living alone.

So my goal is to make it so I have a bit more energy. I don't expect to be able to work on the computer for 10 hours intensely, but it would be nice to be able to do 2-3 blocks of 30 mins per day. Less than that, and you can't really work on anything that requires concentration because the first 10-15 mins are me remembering what I was doing because I forget a lot these days.

 

[Sarouna70]

I know this has been discussed in many ways, but just trying to think about some different approaches. Feeling bad so might be a bit disjointed…

One of my absolute worst symptoms is the brain fog headache and reflux that happens after any cognitive exertion. The more enjoyable, the worse the symptoms. A fun engaging computer problem - awful. Long phone call with a friend - awful. Random mindless TV (rewatching a show - fine), scrolling through Reddit mindlessly - fine.

My symptoms are specifically a weird brain fog feeling that comes on after 20+ mins usually, and feels exactly like the headache I would get when I was younger from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

It's hard to concentrate, a dull headache starts, a slight bit of nausea (that usually precedes acid reflux). If I don't stop immediately, the next day is pretty bad, and the following day is awful.

I worked a bit on a computer thing yesterday. Maybe 40 minutes total. Last night I slept almost 9 hours, although did wake up as usual (and think about how much I disliked this version of my life). Still, that's more sleep than I used to get when I was healthier.

My Garmin only went from 5 to 8, even though I didn't feel too awful when I woke up. But now the headaches are starting, and any further concentration makes it worse quickly.

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION:

What different approach could I use to try to improve this symptom?

I've tried a lot of stuff of course. Some things make the reflux a bit more bearable, some take the edge off the headache. Some 'maybe' give me a slightly better threshold for concentration (ginkgo, rhodiola, maca, etc), but honestly it's not a noticeable difference - might be imaging since I think it's supposed to help.

Things I've tried that did nothing or maybe helped a bit: mangesium (many forms), NAC, fenugreek, hawthorn, NAG, curcumin, rhodiola, maca, kudzu, CoQ10, inosine, citrulline, methyl B, PEA, allicin, LOLA, taurine, quercetin, and on and on.

Things I've tried that helped initially but made it much worse: modafinil, large amounts of caffeine.

Things I haven't tried: various other types of stimulants or racetams or ?

ANY NEW IDEAS?

As for me, reflux appears when I change my position...all the long day.
I wish you energy and hope.

 

[hapl808]

I am better with spirulina.
I wish you energy and hope

I've tried spirulina and chlorella and charcoal and such (chlorella mostly this month) - mostly under the theory of some kind of 'binder' in my system. I think maybe it helps some, but honestly such a small difference that it's not noticeable in any way I could articulate.

Things that I can definitely notice:

NAC helps with my allergies and constant throat clearing. Not sure if it helps my reflux.

Fenugreek also helps a bit with the phlegm and throat clearing.

Allicin seems to ironically hurt my stomach, but also help some of my digestive and headache issues. If I stop it, my headaches temporarily improve and then worsen, same with stomach and digestion.

Modafinil (25mg) made me feel slightly more 'normal' and less brain fog for a few hours, but then crashed me for several days. I'd kind of like to try other types of stimulants to see if I could find one that gives me benefits without downsides, but that's probably a fool's errand. If ME/CFS symptoms were that easy to fix…

Andrographis also seems to help me a bit. Less than allicin, but also hurts less than allicin. Monolaurin seems like it should do similar, but I can't tell if it's doing anything.

Knotweed, Cat's Claw, Skullcap - Buhner herbs seem to work a bit like allicin, although less effect on headache and more on general fatigue. High doses help the most, but also irritate my digestion and sometimes I have to then stop.

Testosterone - maybe the worst thing I tried. Made me completely unable to stand even with crutches. My natural levels are (or were) somewhat high for my age, but with my extreme muscle weakness, I had a doctor who wanted to try. Also did HGH and did very little other than improve sleep.

Anyone have ideas for unusual stuff to try? Nootropics, repurposed drugs, etc? I've done LDN and ketotifen and cromolyn and so forth. I haven't done LDA as I've just seen so many stories of improvement counterbalanced by permanent worsening (Whitney seems like one). Tempting, though.

Only 'antivirals' I've done are more natural ones like ku shen, andrographis, allicin, etc. I'd be interested to try, but I'm too severe to get blood work (even at home), so I'd want one with minimal liver impact.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I'm trying to imagine how cognitive exertion would exacerbate reflux.

the valves in the stomach: use energy to work properly (open close)

your energy was largely used up (or your mitochondria, or the SOMETHING)...so you body took it in the stomach/ reflux.

I tend to take it in the colon: OR lately, I am getting more SIBO and problems with delayed emptying.

I almost NEVER get GERD or heartburn (LUCKY ME).

My husband got it often, and sometimes REAL BAD (vomiting). (Real sick after). The antihistamine and Pepcid thing - helped him tremendously.

Perhaps the GERD is MAST CELL also?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Modafinil (25mg) made me feel slightly more 'normal' and less brain fog for a few hours, but then crashed me for several days. I'd kind of like to try other types of stimulants to see if I could find one that gives me benefits without downsides, but that's probably a fool's errand.

my GP told me that they found Modafinil is doing something else, beneficial. now I simply forget what that was. Reduced brain inflammation? Maybe? It wasn't enuf to convince me to try it again.

(I have some 100mg) (and I crashed on half that, every time so I don't take it)

 

[Rufous McKinney]

My husband also gets hiccups that are hard to get rid of. As a kid, he got them once for weeks.

the Pepcid/ H-2 blockers for the stomach- seem to stop his hiccups, and that was hugely revelatory.

 

[hapl808]

the Pepcid/ H-2 blockers for the stomach- seem to stop his hiccups, and that was hugely revelatory.

Unfortunately Pepcid just seemed to mess up my digestion without really affecting the other stuff.

I can't really tell if the acid reflux from cognitive exertion then causes the PEM crash and headaches and such, or if the acid reflux is just a symptom that addressed on its own won't affect the other stuff. It's so obvious, so it's tempting to try to treat. Some things helps a bit - slippery elm, marshmallow, fenugreek, NAC, etc.

 

[hapl808]

I've noticed one of the few things that alleviates some of the brain fog is when I've stopped my anti-pathogen supplements and herbs for awhile - then restart with allicin, andrographis, etc. That starts improving my headaches and brain fog and such, but worsens my stomach and reflux usually (even with careful food intake, slippery elm, marshmallow root, etc).

Does that sound like maybe I should be trying antivirals? And if so, which ones would be the best and easiest on my system assuming I'm too sick to get blood work, etc.

 

[perchance dreamer]

My husband also gets hiccups that are hard to get rid of. As a kid, he got them once for weeks.

Having hiccups for weeks sounds awful. A home remedy that works for my occasional hiccups is swallowing around a teaspoon of sugar very quickly and avoiding water to chase it down. That little irritation caused by swallowing the granules quickly gets rid of mine.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Pepcid just seemed to mess up my digestion

I"ve never taken one.

Having possibly over done it on Gouda cheese, I got some generic Claritin (H-1 blocker). I haven't tried either yet. Not sure, therefore, if I can tolerate any of them.

I do quercitin.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

my occasional hiccup

drink water sideways.

However, in recent years, I"ve noticed that water can give me hiccups. (mine don't last long, thank goodness)

 

[Judee]

Do you also experience the brain swollen feeling when you have these brain fog storms? I get the brain swollen feeling often and when that happens I just can't think.

 

[hapl808]

Do you also experience the brain swollen feeling when you have these brain fog storms? I get the brain swollen feeling often and when that happens I just can't think.

The swollen brain feeling is constant for me, but it worsens when I try to talk on the phone or work on the computer doing something challenging or listening to music for more than a few minutes.

 

[Dysfunkion]

The swollen brain feeling is constant for me, but it worsens when I try to talk on the phone or work on the computer doing something challenging or listening to music for more than a few minutes.

For me that swelling feeling kind of feels like it is centered in my forehead and top back of my head. It's as if my brain doesn't have any stimulation filters and when things escalate too much everything just freezes up. It's more like a brain freeze with me than a fog and it's so obnoxious when I'm trying to enjoy something or do something productive. The specific fog with me always hits around 11 AM and gradually tapers off and I'll tend to get more cognitive energy back to be able to enjoy something and be productive around 5 PM and forward. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, it's just a cycle I haven't found anything I've ever taken can influence.

The only thing that helps the brain freeze thing when I'm enjoying something or doing something productive is if I'm in general having a substance with a certain effects profile while enjoying or doing the thing. Whether it is my morning coffee, kratom, vape (only nicotine though), or for more obscure example kava. The interesting thing about these things is that the initial effects of them allow me break through the brain freeze is that they only do these things at the specific times the up's and downs in my follow that nothing can influence. Like for example lets say I drink my coffee at 12 PM instead around 6-7 AM when I wake up, I won't be able access that flow state to enjoy something or be productive with. I wish I was joking when I say this is literally the only way I have found to stop it temporarily from happening. I think it may be the initial relaxed but initial stimulant like effect of them combined with the act of drinking or smoking, the drinking/smoking part is also crucial for this breakthrough to happen. Like for example if I have the tablet form of kratom though it will satisfy the craving, it won't do the same thing because of the lack of the sensory experience of drinking. It's a very strange phenomenon alright.

 

[hapl808]

This thread came up as 'new' and I thought the title sounded quite funny. BrainFogStorm. Then I realized that I started the thread and made the title.

How appropriate.