depression and/or brain injury

     hey im a 21 year old male. I believe i suffered a brain injury when i was dumb one night and inhaled nitrous oxide (laughing gas) with a few friends who do them often. I didnt pass out but i worry about oxygen deprivation etc. it has been a little less than 2 months and i still dont feel "better" (although i have had some improvement).

     I feel "out of it", my eye sight/ light perception seems funny, my ears pop often, i get headaches, have trouble consentrating/analyzing/memorizing, i forget things way more easily, studying takes alot more effort and motivation (i'm a 4.0 pre-vet student), my sleep is disruptive and waking up is difficult, its all very depressing and worrisome. Of course i just turned 21 in college and drinking makes things worse (afterwards) so i TRY not too over do it and just have 1-3 weaker drinks when i do go out (which is hard to do around here). and i stay away from marijuanna etc..

     I have seen a neurologist and gotten an MRI and a few blood tests that "seem fine" but have read that most tests wouldnt pick up mild brain injuries. I have seen a psychiatrist and have been taking 50mg of Zoloft for about a month and a half. They say im just stressing/depressive. I have been anxious my whole life but this is different. Trying to decide if i should go back to the doctor or wait it out longer. Im just hoping to move past this.

thanks for your time.

[mammo]

You say you've been anxious all your life and it may be that your worrying over how the nitrous oxide affected you has increased your anxiety.  Normally any adverse effects of nitrous oxide are seen during the time it's inhaled and they don't linger.  I personally feel this has definitely increased your anxiety and if you're not feeling better after 6 weeks on Zoloft contact your prescribing doctor and let him know.....they want and need to know if the medication is helping.  If he wants you to give it more time, he will tell you or he may want to increase your dosage.  All your tests say you are fine, so try to put this whole experience behind you...filed under "Lessons Learned".  You shouldn't mix alcohol with your medications, it increases the effects of it and this is why you feel so tired in the mornings.  We have all done some crazy things, but don't allow this one experience stop you from realizing your dream after college.  I truly would not worry that you suffered any permanent damage, let this show you how powerful anxiety can be, and put this all behind you by no longer dwelling on it.  Anxiety feeds off our fears and worries creating a vicious cycle, break this cycle now and move on.  You've got a lot of living to do and are off to a good start....don't miss a moment of it!  I wish you all the best!!