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Does Lyme give anyone else bad mental symptoms?

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Posted 2/19/2014 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
For example, with me this has made get a huge amount of anxiety for no reason. Like I'll just be watching a movie, and out of nowhere I start feeling weird like something bad is going to happen for no reason. Like I have moments where I feel scared like I'm the only one and nothing is real. That's the thing most crazy Like schizophrenics hear voices. I hear or see nothing but randomly I'll get these strange thoughts or feel really discconeted front reality and feel out of it, like derpersonilization. It's really awful. Anyone with Lyme get this? I hate it :(. The physical symptoms are horrible.. But the mental ones are even worse :(
Posted 2/19/2014 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
I thought I was gonna go insane when this whole thing started. Someone told me to take Holy Basil so I did and I wouldn't have survived without it!
Posted 2/19/2014 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I get some of that. Not as bad as you do, but it's there. Sometimes I'll walk on the treadmill and that helps lessen the anxiety part.
Posted 2/19/2014 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
I have anxiet and OCD but this made it go times 10. Really sucks :(
Posted 2/19/2014 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
I had soo many of the mental/cognitive symptoms and although they weren't the worst anyone has seen, they were pretty severe. I had extreme bouts of paranoia (like you describe), lost all working memory (short and long term), couldn't follow patterns, couldn't follow instructions, couldn't get the words out that made any sense and so much more.

For many people these are signs of ammonia build up in their brains. There was a good conversation going about this here: www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=2994845
Posted 2/19/2014 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hey JohnRed,

Yes, all the things you have mentioned happen to me. I am a 22 year old recent college grad with no previous medical history until this summer. It can be pretty scary when these things happen but you have to learn to fight through them. For me the coinfection bartenolla caused all these things and as I started to treat it it improved dramatically. Hang in there kid
Posted 2/19/2014 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
I am the exact same way-anxiety out of nowhere for NO apparent reason. It is very frustrating because you're sitting there like this makes no sense!

Lymebabe-Can you tell me more about the Holy Basil?
Posted 2/19/2014 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, you are not alone. To me nothing feels familiar or comforting, impending sense of doom and despair, and a definite disconnect that is more than unsettling. I've had it long before I knew why I had it. I was treated for panic attacks since the age of 9 and on an anxiolytic since I was 16. After I'd been in an abx for about 5 mths I noticed some change. I'm actually feeling really weird right now and I've been waking in the middle of the night with it. It sucks so badly.
Posted 2/19/2014 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Definite deteriorates mental state ie., anxiety, confusion, depression. Also effects memory and cognitive function. L Cetyl carnitine and alpha lipoic acid help and so does vitamin D. Cephalosporin medications helped me the most with neuro effects, which I thought to be caused by brain swelling.
Posted 2/20/2014 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
I took it 3x day as evenly spaced as possible. The brand was New Chapter and I got it on Amazon. From what I understand it regulates hormone levels to even out your mood. It is also an anticoagulant. Recommended dosage is 2x day so that is why I wanted to be really sure that I didn't take them too close together. It did not resolve my problems but it definitely took the edge off the horrendous nausea and mental attacks I was plagued with the first months of this infection.
Posted 2/20/2014 5:59 AM (GMT 0)
Same expereinces here, it an be down right scary.
Posted 2/20/2014 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
The anxiety and irritability can be bad, sometimes.
Posted 2/21/2014 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
That was my very first Lyme symptoms... Overwhelming sadness and anxiety. When I take my pain meds, it goes away. When my pain starts returning, I start having that uneasy feeling, like something bad will happen and I become more negative. I not know what I would do without pain meds, as they also help with not feeling these neurological issues. These mental changes truly are so hard to deal with and maintain relationships. Most people just don't understand...
Posted 2/23/2014 4:49 AM (GMT 0)
Terrible cognitive issues and impulse control problems. When it started, I had big-time memory loss, and could only speak V E R Y slowly. I had to pause to remember each word. I could only speak with my eyes closed, bc for some reason, that helped me remember words.

It's no coincidence that a large number of Alzheimer's patients, after they deceased, were found to test positive for Lyme (in autopsies).

Margaret
Posted 2/23/2014 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
A friend of mine who grew up in the 60s and 70s said, "It's like tripping." I have had border-line hallucinations before, although much less now.

Margaret
Posted 3/2/2014 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
Worst symptom by far...the kind of anxiety that feels like "Something is horribly wrong, I'm scared, I'm doomed."

I used to get panic attacks standing in line at the post office. I'd feel like something terrible was going to happen, my heart would race and I'd get lightheaded, then I'd literally shake paying for a stamp. lol.

I couldn't have conversations. That was a big red flag for me. I went into the phone store to replace my cell phone and I felt like I had to do it in 5 minutes, or I'd run out of the store....The sense of urgency, all the time, was horrific. I was also really paranoid, and really irritable- crazy mood swings.

My anxiety would get even worse when I went to all the specialists who could never diagnose me! My heart-rate could easily kick up to the 160's, just out of fear and adrenaline. It's still kind of bad when I go to the doctor, but the post office is no longer a scary place. lol.

The un-diagnosed phase, and the first 5 months of treatment were by far the worst.
Posted 3/2/2014 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
For me it's the fear of what if...then that would trigger other symtoms. Most of the time it's the vision problems that start
..then dizzy and wondering if I might fall. The I get worked up and then get nauseous...then possibly need to visit the bathroom....just a horrible feeling.
Posted 3/2/2014 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
If anyone is continually having feelings of impending doom, anxiety, or up and down with these symptoms, please get a 24 hour saliva test done for your adrenals. Not everyone with these symptoms will have adrenal insufficiency, but this is one of those things where it's better to be safe than sorry.

Any blood tests or one time saliva collection will NOT show if you are having issues with the right amount of hormones being put out from the adrenal glands all day long. It really does require 3 - 6 collection times for saliva to know this.
Posted 3/2/2014 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the Tip Traveler, I'll talk to my MD about a 24 hr saliva test.
Posted 3/2/2014 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
Good! Our adrenal health is pretty important!! Please let us know what you find out!
Posted 3/4/2014 8:15 AM (GMT 0)
I have depression and OCD. This disease makes you feel so isolated.
Posted 3/4/2014 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Segolily!
Welcome to our community! Do you have Lyme and/or other tick borne diseases as well as the depression and OCD? I'm so sorry.

If you do have tick-borne infections, I would encourage you to read through our "New to Lyme? Start Here!" thread as it's packed with really important information that will help you get through this. And we are here to help you understand and learn not only about what you have, but how to get past it.

Why don't you start by telling us a little about your journey so far? You can answer here or start a new thread.

How long do you believe you have been infected? How long have you been having symptoms? Are you in treatment? If so, what kind and what have you used? How do you feel this has/did work for you?

We might also be able to help you find a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD), or LLND if you wish.
Posted 3/5/2014 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
Anxiety has been kicking my butt for the past few weeks. Last few days have been especially bad. Super fast heart rate, nightmares / night terrors last night (realized I'd forgotten to take my zoloft that day, once I did take it, the nightmares stopped), impending doom feeling, completely exhausted but can't sleep, tingling in my feet, blah, blah, blah.

I hate this stupid disease.
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