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Brain Fog , Change in Personality with Fibro ?

Hello everyone ,
Before my pains started I suffered from depression and anxiety and was homebound for several years but I did not have any brain fog . Then in 2004 I developed myofascial pain syndrome (muscle knots in the back) and never been the same ever since . I also have IBS and in constant brain fog and I think my personality has changed(depressed all the time) . Is this only happening to me or others also have same kind of experiences?

Thanks a lot
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553995 tn?1332018840
John, there is not one clear answer to your question. I can only speak for myself and tell you that I am much different now than I was years ago.

Are there determining factors? Sure. I've matured, I've stopped performing happy to cover my always low grade depression.

I've had FM for 12 or so years and being on one antidepressant after another, and having each work a bit then not is disheartening. That sure is a carrot dangled in front of you not within reach.

I've not given up on finding the correct antidepressant and think I may be on the correct combo of Wellbutrin and Cymbalta for depression. I have to watch not to become manic then crash bad and I suffer from severe migraines so my miracle drug for that is Topamax.

Still, to answer your question, I wake up in the morning with pain that I have to brace myself to face.  My personality can go from being happy to greet my husband and great dogs who all love me unconditionally, to when I push myself through my day and get worn down, to being quiet, and impatient.  If I don't know you in the store you who know me wouldn't know me as the same person.  I have actually looked at someone staight in the face an inch away and said with daggers "You don't know who you are messing with!".  Thank God they felt fear and walked.  I hate scenes.

Otherwise I am a ball of "poor me and this is my life".  At least the enthusiasm I feel and the happy I feel coincides with my thoughts and actions and I don't have to make them meet by faking it.  Just don't ignore me when I'm talking to you, or I might chew you up and spit you out :0} lol
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Avatar universal
I also suffered from anxiety and depression.  It began in my teenage years, which is when I also began having strange symptoms (dizziness, balance issues, falling down steps and others).  I do not belive that being dx'd with fibro means one is depressed or anxious.  However, I do believe that long-term, high-stress situations play some type role.  

I feel that when someone is subjected to chronic pain of any form it can effect their behavior.  Depression is typically one of the symptoms.  It is extremely difficult to smile, laugh and enjoy life while in pain.  This is bound to be reflected in our behavior.  

You didn't mention how long you have had problems with the depression/anxiety, but there is a type called dysthymia.  It is characterized by a chronic, mild form that does not respond to the usual treatments (antidepressants).  If you have had mild depression for several years, it's possible that you may have this.  

Have you spoken with a doctor about feeling as if your behavior has changed?  

Please take care and stay safe.
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Avatar universal

One thing that I'm seeing in people with CFS... is that we all tend to do better on a gluten free diet. I didn't have Celiac disease, but I did have a gluten intolerance (according to my physician, who has a son with Celiac disease). And I found out later that many CFS patients (other people do... autoimmune diseases and autism) do better on a gluten free diet.
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Avatar universal
If you haven't already done so, you may want to do some research on Celiac Disease.  Many people who have problems with wheat actually have Celiac Disease and just don't know it, though for some, it's a "simple" allergy or sensitivity that's unrelated to CD.  Brain fog and mood alterations are moderately common symptoms, though, as are various gastric complaints like diahorrhea (sp?), acid reflux, and nausea.

Celiac cannot currently be detected if you've been avoiding the problem foods, so you should either reintroduce wheat for a month or two and THEN get tested, or go on a gluten-free diet (next para) and if everything clears up, then you can more or less figure it out that way.  If you do the diet first, though, as I did, be aware that many doctors will be somewhat skeptical of your self-diagnosis because you didn't get the biopsy that they would have wanted you to.  In my case, fasting was impossible, so a biopsy was out of the question...but in my experience, doctors are often unsympathetic to the idea that you can't take their tests.

The basic treatment for Celiac is to go on a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.  This means avoiding even the most minute traces of the gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley.  Commercial oats are heavily contaminated with wheat flour, and should therefore also be avoided.  Some people even have problems with the gluten-free oats found at health-food stores, so it's best to avoid all oats to begin with and if you determine that the problem really is Celiac, try adding gluten-free oats back in and see what happens.
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606078 tn?1247264553
Hi John;
   I understand where you're coming from. I have never been one to take medication for anything, until I had my first knee replacement. It seems that now I take a huge quantity of meds, including Zoloft. One day I was fine, and the next day I was having horrible muscle and joint pain all over.

   I had 2 failed partial replacements on the same knee and a total replacement that can never be revised again. My fibro came full circle I think when I went through the trauma of multiple surgeries in exactly 7 months to the day. The first medication that my doctor put me on was Zoloft because all I could do was sit and cry. It was a godsend for me.

   I now have a cold which has turned into bronchitis and I feel lousy, I hurt in every conceivable spot and my lungs are on fire. YUK!! I ordered the book several days ago, and I'm going to sit down with my family and let them read also, maybe then they will have a better understanding of fibro. I stay in a fibrofog 50% of the time, and I think that is the worst part of this disease.

gentle hugs
Angel
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Avatar universal
Hi thanks for your reply . Have you read the book "fibromyalgia a survival guide" ?
I have suffered recurrent bouts of bronchitis over the years and now I think there is a link to fibro . I am also struggling with horrendous post nasal drip . Doctor put me on cymbalta and it seems to be helping with depression and pain .

Fibro can start after extreme periods of stress or traumatic life events like loosing a loved one , etc . For me depression/anxiety played a major role .

I am avoiding wheat and it has helped with the fog . There is a guaifenesin protocol . Please refer to this site

http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com/GuaiProtocol.htm

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Avatar universal

I was just speaking with a friend of mine, who also has CFS. We were discussing how we believed that some symptoms can cause changes in peoples personality. There was a woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity who ended up in jail. The reason ? She was going crazy and committed a stupid crime... in my opinion, because of her illness. I believe it is physical... rather than psychological (at least for the most part). Of course ANY illness wears down our defenses and our ability to handle stress, but some illnesses affect the brain and MCS is one of them.

Treating brain fog in FM & CFS patients :

http://www.ei-resource.org/expert-columns/dr.-jacob-teitelbaums-column/treating-cognitive-dysfunction-(brain-fog)-in-cfs-&-fibromyalgia/
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