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Impairment from stroke - mirrors (our?) benzo cognitive symptoms?


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From https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/neuropsychiatric-sequelae-stroke-issues-and-implications-clinicians

 

"Post-stroke apathy can manifest as lack of motivation, impairment of goal-directed activity, loss of spontaneity and initiative, decreased interest, and/or emotional blunting. Apathy may begin in the acute post-stroke period or develop in the chronic phase. Patients with post-stroke apathy show more disability and impairment of cognition than patients without apathy and have worse health-related quality of life.7,8

 

Distinguishing apathy from depression, particularly in the context of neurological illness, poses challenges. However, because prognosis and treatment may differ, making a correct diagnosis remains essential. Table 2 outlines features that help differentiate post-stroke apathy from PSD. Apathy frequently causes more distress to patients’ families than to the patients themselves. Although the family often reports that the patient is “depressed,” the patient denies low mood or true anhedonia, precluding the diagnosis. However, apathy and depression frequently coexist, and apathy constitutes a risk factor for depression."

 

This is exactly what I seem to be going through in benzo withdrawal. (I have not had a stroke).

 

I cannot self-motivate, no matter how many lists and schedules I make.

Severe Anhedonia.

What could be described as depression, but having been a lifelong sufferer of clinical depression, this is very different. My normal depression I would describe, strangely, as 'wet', filled with deep despairing howling sadness and hopelessness. This benzo 'depression' I would describe as nihilism, that there is no real point to anything, and I don't feel much, lack of future kind of hopelessness, no crying, just emptiness.

I can do some physical things but I lose steam very quickly, and anything cognitive takes a great toll on my energy and stress levels.

 

 

Do these stroke symptoms affect anyone else?

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Bobthrob, Absolutely!  Stroke-like symptoms, traumatic brain injury symptoms.  Severe Anhedonia and that WD-only kind of depression.  There are no words for it.  I have never been depressed in my life.  Anxious, yes.  Depressed, no.  The anhedonia, the depression, the derealization and depersonalization are the worse.  They will all leave.  You can trust that, because all the success stories describe them just dropping off one by one.  I try hard not to dwell on it, but, like you, it overwhelms me sometimes.  Good luck to you.
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When I was in tolerance w/d, went to some specialists because of my symptoms and after lots of blood tests was diagnosed with Thrombophilia-at risk of stroke or heart attack, by a Hematologist.  I have a procoagulant autoantibody in my blood which can cause clots.  I believe I've possibly had micro strokes in my brain already. 
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Stroke victims often have scar tissue and their brain has to develop new pathways. Our brains are repairing and doing much of the same thing. Yes the similarities are astounding. Stroke patients require time to heal as do we:)
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I agree with alot of what that article said, but what's disgusting is that they would consider treating a stroke patient's depression and apathy with ECT treatment.  It's bad enough that they want to put them on AD's to further damage their brains to treat their stroke depression.  Psychiatric drugs are Satan's pills.
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Stroke victims often have scar tissue and their brain has to develop new pathways. Our brains are repairing and doing much of the same thing. Yes the similarities are astounding. Stroke patients require time to heal as do we:)

 

It depends on how serious the stroke. My husband had a stroke during the night. It was too late for the shot. I can't remember the name of shot. They did take him to ER and he had MRI and other tests.

To compare wd to stroke is wrong IMO

It's devastating damage. The last 6 months he couldn't walk or eat by mouth.

 

My one grandmother had a mini stroke and wasn't too bad. Just got some dementia with it but could still walk, go out for lunches, talk.

 

 

 

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