15 replies to this topic

[mpe]

On Tuesday morning I suffered what the doctors called Transient Global Amnesia.
My last clear memory is from over a week prior to the event, no actually further before, before Good Friday.
My memories in the period before the event are confused and dream like, with only flashes of clarity.
I have virtually no memories of the day of the event, the ones that I have are for late in the day/evening and are limited to visions of myself being surrounded by by my wife and children and being wheeled from the emergency ward to to the neuro/stroke ward and having my family assuring me that I wasn't having a stroke.

My daughter (Kirsty) tells me that the event happened about 10.30 am.
Kirsty had come to visit me, and we were going to have lunch with my wife (Donna) in her lunch break at 12.30 pm.
I went and showered, Kirsty said I was in the shower for a long time 20-30 minutes. When I came out, she said I was staring at my hands and wriggling my fingers saying "there's something wrong with me".
Kirsty started to talk to me and tried to assure me that I was all right and then about 5 minutes later I started the process all over again.

Kirsty dressed me (I was pretty useless by then), put me in her car, then drove me to the Hospital to the Emergency Ward.
I was admitted and was attended by 3 doctors more or less immediately.
I was sent for CT scans, then later Kirsty was informed that they didn't think I had stroked out, but was in the process of suffering Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). A visiting Specialist confirmed the diagnosis, he also said that in his entire career he had never seen it in progress before and apparently he examined me several times that day.

The actual event I'm told was like being trapped in a loop, initially of about 5 minutes in duration but over time shortening to about 2 minutes. I would start at the same point, go through the same actions, ask the same questions, and I would become frightened not recognizing my daughter or anybody else.

Kirsty described it as similar to a computer trying to boot up.
I would go through myself diagnostics, checking for signs of a stroke, then I would ask a series of questions always the same and always in the same order, then several minutes later I would restart the process with no memory of what had gone before.

The incident started around 10 to 10.30 am and went continuously to about 6.30 to 7 pm, I have absolutely no memories of the event or anything else that day prior to 6.30.
My memories for the time from 6.30 to about 9.00pm are dreamlike and confused.
From 9.00pm onwards my memories are fine.

I understand that TGA can be triggered by stress.
The Friday before I lost my job, I had only had it for 4 weeks; the company lost a major contract and I have previously been unemployed for a year. So yes I must have been very stressed, although I don't remember it.

I have high blood pressure for which I have been taking Micardis and just recently Micardis Plus both at 80mg once a day. The Micardis Plus only for he last week.

Could there be a connection ? I don't know much about brain chemistry or the effects of stress on it.
In my opinion the Micardis and Micardis Plus don't seem to be having a great effect on my blood pressure anyway only dropping my BP from 160/105 to 130/100. Could those compounds be depleting something important?

Mr Happy in a different post has suggested that Uridine could positively impact both brain function and blood pressure, but at the moment I'd like a lot more information on what has happened to me and the chemistry behind it.

Oh yes, I will be seeing the Specialist who saw me in the hospital in about a month, I hae been told not to drive a car for the next month or operate machinery in that time. No problem, it's shaken my confidence and my families watching me like hawkes, god love them.

I would really appreciate any informed comments etc.

[PWAIN]

Wow, fascinating and frightening. Sorry nothing to offer about brain chemistry but I would be cutting out pretty much all supps and then going through them one by one VERY carefully. Which State in Aus are you in? Have you considered moving to one of the booming states - even temporarily? Just to get some confidence back and help with the stress. I'm in Vic and the jobs situation here is awful but I luckily have a perm position. If I lost it, I would consider moving to WA for a while. Country areas have about 2.5% unemployment rate.

[mpe]

I live in Penrith, NSW and yes I think you are right, but moving to the west really isn't an option at the moment.
My daughter is 8 months pregnant, both sons in TAFE and UNI wife working in Penrith.
No cant see myself moving.

[gamesguru]

Do you take any other medications or supplements or chemicals? How long did you take Micardis before the Micardis Plus? Did they run any blood tests? I'm particularly interested to know if you have any other diseases, particularly of the kidneys or liver. One possible explanation for why your meds caused this is that Micardis Plus contains hydrochlorothiazide, a potent diuretic which would put stress on your kidneys and potentially brain. However, looking at this http://www.drugcite....azide&i=AMNESIA, it doesn't seem that either chemical in Micardis Plus is all that likely to contribute to TGA. Given the increasing rates of TGA, medications are being blamed, and as you can see from that chart, some have a more documented association with TGA than others.

[mpe]

Medications, no only the Micardis Plus.
Supplements yes, 6 grams of fish oil per day, 5,000 iu of vit d3 per day, 6 grams of vit c (divided doses), 15mg of k2 mk4 once daily, lysine1000mg twice daily, Benifex one a day multi once daily, nitric factor 1 scoop (l-carnitine 500mg, rs-ala 250mg, Cituline maleate 1000mg, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate 3000mg) twice daily.
I took the Micardis for 6 weeks prior to the Micardis Plus just the past week.
Yes I have had a "recent" blood test about 8 weeks ago, everything was in the normal range except LDL cholesterol which was high. Liver and kidney function was normal. I have put the report somewhere "safe" and now can't find it.
The hospital took blood on Wednesday but I don't have a copy of the report and wasn't told the results, don't even remember the blood test.
My grandmother died from 2 strokes in quick succession at age 47, my father had his first stroke at 47 ( 3 strokes, 2 heart attacks) and I have hypertension.

[mpe]

I was just discussing the possible connection of Micardis plus with the amnesia, with my wife, she told me that the prescription was filled on Thursday, first taken on Friday and that I became increasingly "vague" as time went on.
I'll stop taking the Micardis plus and see my doctor ASAP .

Edited by mpe, 20 April 2012 - 11:15 AM.

[mpe]

Just reading this post http://www.longecity...-as-a-nootropic /
Turns out lysine is a NO inhibitor, my hypertension will never resolve while I'm taking it.
It may be good as a nootropic but death via hypertension is too high a price.

[gamesguru]

Honestly, I would stop taking all of those supplements. I would take 1/3 of the imminst vitamin daily, and try to fill in the gaps with good food sources. It seems the hypertension/cardiovascular disease/strokes are a common theme, and something you'll want to try to prevent. Heart attacks run in my family, but only my grandmother has had strokes, and they were mild, and only a few months-years after being injected with CT scan dye (which I think think caused her strokes).

At any rate, I don't think supplements are going to help much in a case as extreme as you, and given your risk factors, I think adopting a minimalistic philosophy is a wholesome plan (cut them all out, taper, or go cold turkey). I think you need to get on more appropriate medicine(s) from your doctor, ones which can effectively manage your diseases long-term, without contributing to adverse effects.

I would be very interested to see those blood tests, the hospital should mail you the results in a few weeks.

[nightlight]

everything was in the normal range except LDL cholesterol which was high.

Were you taking statins? There have been reports on similar 'transient global amnesia' from some statins users.

[mpe]

No, no statins

[MrHappy]

Mpe - there are so many possible causes to look at here. Normally, pending any external influences, I'd look at the most recent medication changes and work backwards.

I'll follow this with interest.

[mpe]

Thanks, according to my wife and daughter I started to become "withdrawn" shortly after taking the first Micardis Plus, but Donna said she thought I was simply depressed frm loosing my job.
That may well have been he case, but since waking yesterday I've felt fine!
Although just checking my bp 158/108, before eating or drinking anything, hypertension must still be my first priority.
I haven't had any Bp meds since Thursday, the Doctors ar the Hospital put a patch on my chest with a bp med but it only seemed to make me I'll, so that was removed several hours later,nothing since then.

[mpe]

Just visited my G P, he's taken me off all bp meds for the moment.
He said a sudden drop in bp could effect memory, but thought the more likely cause was stress.
He checked my bp it was 130/90 and a significant drop on this mornings reading of 158/108, its still not good so I'll have to restart my walking and review all supps in detail before restarting them.

[MrHappy]

Sounds like the right path!

[mpe]

Today's Anzac day I've been to the bowling club watching two up and financing my kids bets.
Didn't bet myself but apart from drinks it cost about $100.00
Great day, just came home and took my bp 159/95
Not great but by any means, or the worst I've had and better than many readings on the Micardis
Yes I was drinking, 7 or 8 schooners over t he course of the afternoon.

Anyway the "beer effect" got me wondering is a simple kidney flush as good as bp medications.
I don't know and I'm certainly not advocating going out and getting pissed each day, but I have to wonder .

To any Aussies or New Zealanders reading, happy Anzac Day look on and love your Hero's , they did it for you.

[MrHappy]

Nice one, Digger!

MPE, thought this might be useful for you, also:

Bacopa monnieri Increases Cerebral Blood Flow in Rat Independent of Blood Pressure.

Kamkaew N, Norman Scholfield C, Ingkaninan K, Taepavarapruk N, Chootip K.

Source

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand; Academy of Science, Nakhonratchasima College, Nakhonratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
Abstract

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. (Brahmi in India and Thailand) is an ayurvedic dementia treatment, but its effect on cerebral blood flow (CBF) is still unknown. We sought to test its chronic and acute effects on CBF compared with Ginkgo biloba and donepezil. CBF was measured by laser Doppler from rat cerebral cortex after 8 weeks of daily oral dosing of these drugs. Systolic blood pressure was also measured using the tail cuff method or via arterial cannulation. In rats treated with B. monnieri (40 mg/kg), CBF was 25% increased [2927 ± 123 perfusion units, (PU)] compared with shams (2337 ± 217 PU, p < 0.05, nine rats). G. biloba (60 mg/kg) also increased CBF (by 29% to 3019 ± 208 PU, p < 0.05, nine rats). No clear effect was obtained with donepezil (1 mg/kg). Chronic administration of the preparations had no effect on blood pressure. In contrast, intravenous acute infusion of these herbals (20-60 mg/kg) had marked dose-dependent hypotensive actions (diastolic ~31 mmHg lower with 40 mg/kg of either extract), which correspondingly reduced CBF by ~15%. Likewise, CBF fell slightly with acute intravenous sodium nitroprusside and rose with noradrenaline. Donepezil (1 mg/kg) was slightly hypotensive without affecting CBF. Increased CBF with B. monnieri may account for its reported procognitive effect, and its further exploration as an alternative nootropic drug is worthwhile. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.