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724734 tn?1230941272

Lightheaded, brain fog...Not right

Hello everyone, 25/M

About a year ago I began experiencing some strange sensations which I sometimes have trouble finding the words to describe, but their presence is definitely there regardless. In a nutshell my symptoms seem to be fatigue, lightheadedness, "brain fog", trouble focusing, numbness and generally just feeling disconnected. I'm "not there" so to speak, both physically and mentally. I can still function in my daily life, but doing anything that requires real thought (including conversation) is very hard sometimes and it's sort of like my mind and body have been numbed and covered in novocain. I feel stoned and like things just aren't really hitting me so to speak. There are times when it's hard to even focus my eye sight on anything, as all my eyes want to do is drift off and blankly stare in to the middle distance while my head shuts. I'm like a zombie and talking to people is like struggling through improv. It doesn't feel natural and life is sort of like reading the words out of a book and understanding what they mean, but not quite having them quite connect. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy, or that I'm not even a real person...but again, it's hard to describe. I also have fatigue, which hits me very hard toward the end of the day (along with dizzy spells) and all I want to do is crash in my bed when I get home from work. I've also suddenly developed large bags/circles under my eyes over the last year, but I'm not sure how that could be related.

I've had every type of bloodwork done which all came back normal as did my EEG. This has brought me to the conclusion that it has to be something "mental" as opposed to physical, but whether that's anxiety, ADD, depression, depersonalization, post traumatic stress disorder or something else is hard to say. I tried taking Lexapro for a short while which may have helped a bit, but I stopped about a month in since it completely killed my libido and that wasn't even remotely acceptable to me.

Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms? Is this all in my head or are there physical disorders that can result in these feelings? My only other lead is that I started feeling this way shortly after I moved in to my new apartment, so it's possible there's some sort of mold that's making me have problems. I also feel somewhat better when I visit my parents out of state for a week, but that could very well just be in my head or a result of lessened anxiety...Who knows. I just need help and I honestly don't know what else to ask.

153 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hello all, after feeling a lot of the same symptoms, and reading many of the forums regarding this issue a common theme i found was vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I starting taking b12 and Magnesium, after 48 hours of taking I felt different (and at this point anything different is good). There is a noticeable difference in how I feel. Hoping after a couple of more days of taking as describe things will continue to improve. Best of luck to you all dealing with this.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dude, the same type of thing happens to me.  I'm pretty certain that the symptoms are the result of low mental energy.  Your brain is like a high maintenance battery, it needs so many things in certain amounts to be able to preform daily activities and tasks.  These have to do with everything from work/school, to casual conversation and social interaction, to playing sports, to movies, reading, internet, video games, etc. Everyone is different, genetics, environment, diet, lifestyle, career, environment, stress level, hobbies, sleep, all play a role in how much energy you have.  Depending on how all of these factors are transformed into each of our own lives, some people end up using a lot more day to day than others.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but one has to be careful not to overwork themself.  I can list off some recommendations that help if you're interested:

-Make sure you're getting enough sleep.
-Limit electronics before bed, the artificial lights mess with your body's natural melatonin receptors.
-Eat lots of natural vitamin filled foods, such as fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, herbs, etc. as opposed to processed food.  
-Get as much exercise as you can!  Whether this means getting on a regular work out schedule, playing sports, or just being active all the time in general, those endorphins help.
-Try to be more laid back.  Of course there are necessary things in life to stress over, but I'm sure we all stress-out over really unnecessary things as well.  Stress takes up a lot of mental energy, so let the little things go, and save the anxiety for where it's necessary and normal.
-Take breaks from your busy work (and I don't mean browsing the internet.)
When you get bogged down and the mental fog comes up, go for a walk, step outside, get a nutritious snack, have a casual conversation (not too deep, too philosophical, too political, too argumental, too etc.,) listen to the birds sing, etc.  The worst thing you can do when you feel mentally drained is to keep beating yourself into focus.  Again take all advice in moderation, don't full on procrastinate and take too many breaks freely.


-Best of wishes ;)    
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dude, the same type of thing happens to me.  I'm pretty certain that the symptoms are the result of low mental energy.  Your brain is like a high maintenance battery, it needs so many things in certain amounts to be able to preform daily activities and tasks.  These have to do with everything from work/school, to casual conversation and social interaction, to playing sports, to movies, reading, internet, video games, etc. Everyone is different, genetics, environment, diet, lifestyle, career, environment, stress level, hobbies, sleep, all play a role in how much energy you have.  Depending on how all of these factors are transformed into each of our own lives, some people end up using a lot more day to day than others.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but one has to be careful not to overwork themself.  I can list off some recommendations that help if you're interested:

-Make sure you're getting enough sleep.
-Limit electronics before bed, the artificial lights mess with your body's natural melatonin receptors.
-Eat lots of natural vitamin filled foods, such as fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, herbs, etc. as opposed to processed food.  
-Get as much exercise as you can!  Whether this means getting on a regular work out schedule, playing sports, or just being active all the time in general, those endorphins help.
-Try to be more laid back.  Of course there are necessary things in life to stress over, but I'm sure we all stress-out over really unnecessary things as well.  Stress takes up a lot of mental energy, so let the little things go, and save the anxiety for where it's necessary and normal.
-Take breaks from your busy work (and I don't mean browsing the internet.)
When you get bogged down and the mental fog comes up, go for a walk, step outside, get a nutritious snack, have a casual conversation (not too deep, too philosophical, too political, too argumental, too etc.,) listen to the birds sing, etc.  The worst thing you can do when you feel mentally drained is to keep beating yourself into focus.  Again take all advice in moderation, don't full on procrastinate and take too many breaks freely.


-Best of wishes ;)    
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Fd8
same as me any word what causes etc?
Helpful - 0
9197017 tn?1429016816
Widow77,
I agree with your post.
Helpful - 0
9197017 tn?1429016816
Excellent post
Helpful - 0
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