Am I having brain fog, confusion, and forgetfulness due to alcohol drinking?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been suffering from severe brain fog, confusion, and forgetfulness for the last two months. Almost to the point where I thought I might have had a stroke, Alzheimer's, or liver failure. I now believe that it may be down to the fact that I drink about 10 pints of beer once per week, as the symptoms only came when I started drinking two months ago. I have brain fog from when I was 20 years old, probably due to recreational drugs like cocaine and marijuana. I have stopped doing drugs from the past 11 years. Do you think this could be the issue or is it possibly something else? If it is the alcohol which has caused a vitamin deficiency, do you recommend taking any vitamins and minerals will help? And if so, what should I take?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It will not be appropriate to tell you without proper examination what exactly you might have. But yes, frequent alcohol drinkers may suffer from vitamin deficiencies (B1, B12, B6), which leads to neurological manifestation and serious consequences in the long term.

Most of the time, not only vitamins but other supportive therapy under a constant supervision of a specialist is also needed, as it is the brain which is affected.

I recommend you to consult a neurologist for further workup and management and confirmation of your diagnosis. It is better not to self-diagnose and self-medicate, as that can steal some precious golden period when the condition can be reversed.

Thank you.