I'm Getting Dumber By The Year

[LoneKiller]

Hi Everyone.

I never wanted to accept it. I thought that it would run it's course and heal by now. All the drugs and alcohol I took have made me stupid. Since I gave all that honeysuckle up, it seems that my brain is continuing to get worse.

I understand that brain cells don't reproduce. But I really thought that abstaining would halt the process of dying brain cells and my intelligence would begin to return to normal. My chess is nowhere near as sharp as it used to be, I have great difficulty grasping the simplest of concepts, and my recall memory sucks.

I'm sick and tired of feeling like an idiot. Just take a look at all of my threads in the Tech Support. I've been online for around 6 years. I should know all the answers to those ridiculous questions by now. I didn't even know that my latest thread included an article from what's known as a Satire site for Christ's sake.

I'm sick and tired of feeling like a Goddamn idiot due to my past addiction. I quit using. I went through Hell to quit. I don't deserve this. I paid my dues!:club::club::club::club::club::club::club::club::club:

I understand that this isn't your guy's problem. I just wanted to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading.

 

[IgnoredOne]

I understand that brain cells don't reproduce.

This is dogma. A landmark study in 1999 by Princeton University found that new cells are added to the brain in a process called neurogenesis. Furthermore, even without additional generation of brain cells, it is possible for glial tissues to connect between existing brain cells and form stronger connections.

So keep focusing on learning new skills, keep up supplementation of omega-3 and exercise regularly; you should see at least some improvement.

 

[Montreal Skye]

Hi LoneKiller,

I felt that way after 7 years on pharmaceuticals. I actually felt like I was getting dumber. The drugs, pharmas or other, mess with your cognitive skills. You have to basically find exercises to retrain yourself. One of my biggest problems was focus and memory. Being a bookworm my entire life, I was devastated that I couldn't even remember a sentence I'd just read. I had to learn how to read again and retain the information through active reading, basically paraphrasing what I'd just read, sentence by sentence. It was relatively quick to get that skill back. I still waiver at times, but I have the tools now to improve that particular area of cognition that had deteriorated. Here's a good link if you're interested, it explains the cognitive abilities, and gives suggestions on how to improve each one.

And what Ignored One said too, the omega 3 and exercise does work wonders. B-vitamin complex also helps with cognitive skills and brain functioning.

 

[Stranger]

I think it's normal to feel dumb as you get older - may not be anything related to drugs! I feel like my mind is fuzzy half the time, and not nearly as sharp and quick as it was when I was a teenager... and I never used drugs. Just get outside more, stimulate your mind any way you can... and don't blame yourself! I think most people experience this problem to some extent, even if they don't talk about it openly. In fact, this is the "dirty secret" of 50- and 60-somethings in desk jobs. Often they hardly have any idea of what's going on anymore, but go on pretending to be the most important ones around...

 

[LoneKiller]

It's just so **** frustrating. I've been taking medication for over the last 9 or 10 years. Could these be a factor? Maybe I should ask a pharmacist. I just feel awkward talking to them. They're too busy working to answer questions like this. Not the most important thing in their jobs. I'm hesitant in "Googling" for answers. You never know who the hell you are learning from. I have my doctor's private number, but that's only for serious things.

Prozac 20mg a day
Risperidone .5mg 3x a day
Cogentin 2mg 2x a day

 

[iris]

Wait.. you mean.. you took 15 mg of risperidone a day, besides the rest of the medication, for 10 years?! :O

 

[LoneKiller]

.5mg of Risperidone 3x day

 

[Montreal Skye]

I was on a similar cocktail of pharmas, plus another one. I can tell you from personal experience, they messed up my brain functioning. I became paranoid too. I lost my problem-solving abilities. My entire physiology changed. Mind you, I'm the poster child for side effects. I'm now an advocate for natural remedies, but I realize it doesn't work for everyone. Your pharmacist is probably the best person to ask with regards to all meds and their possible lasting side effects.

 

[iris]

.5mg of Risperidone 3x day

I'm sorry, I still don't get it: you mean 5 x 3 = 15 mg per total of risperidone a day or just 5 mg per total a day?

 

[Trent]

i would venture a guess that it is more behavioral/emotional than actually some impairment of your intelligence.

i also did a lot of drugs (just like you) for years and years. yes, it changed me in certain ways. too many to go into now.

however, despite that...people do start to feel "stupid" as they age.

do you want to know what that is?

it's wisdom.

as we age, we come to realize our limitations and our inefficiencies. likely they were always there, but as a kid we weren't wise enough to see it.

so this is not an intelligence issue so much as a confidence issue.

mastery takes effort. many of those questions you post in the tech forum could be found with the proper effort through a google search or actually reading the help file in windows.

again that is not about brains, it is about behavior.

 

[Parabolani]

If you have been on the meds that long they should have adjusted your brain chemistry by now. The only other thing you can do is a healthy diet, that means only fruit and vegtables.
Also you spent a lot of time sitting around smashed, you need to learn how to learn again. Go back to basics, study honeysuckle you did in grade school and work your way up. Don't give up bro I'm going through the same honeysuckle.

 

[Trent]

agree with the last poster

the best way to feel smart, is to start learning again

are you in school for anything now?

if not, you need to start doing some serious independent study on ANYTHING

do this for yourself

i was in the same position, i'm not back in school...again

learning about computer networking and i feel less dumb for the effort

 

[Phaedron]

So what type of water do you drink? Is it full of lots of... flouride?

 

[LoneKiller]

I decided to dig out a few of my old chess books that I read when I first started playing over 20 years ago. Although they're basic, it's always good to review them.

I wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to help me with this. It makes me proud to be part of a forum where many members care.