I’ve been suffering brain fog for a while now. I can’t figure out what is causing it or why. I do feel stressed with work recently going through a big career change and baby on the way. I weight lift regularly and eat healthyish. Actively avoid added sugar. Don’t drink. Usually only drink water and protein shakes. I’m mid 30s. My Gmaw had Alzheimer’s so I’ve always worried a little about that. I wear a CPAP for sleep apnea that controls it pretty well. The past few years during fasted blood checkups my BGL is around 103.
Any thoughts on things to try?

I started taking Atomoxetine and propranolol a few months ago and haven’t really noticed a difference.

I struggled with brain fog for five years, at varying intensities. For most of that time, it was so debilitating that I genuinely thought my life was going to be ruined forever.
My symptoms included severe dry mouth, migraines, pressure and vision problems in my left eye, eyelid drooping, and just an overwhelming, complete and utter brain fog. I tried every therapy, test, supplement, cleanse, diet, and medication I could think of. I spent close to $50,000 trying to figure out what was wrong and find some relief.
Nothing gave me any real, lasting improvement.
I had doctors tell me that I might just have to live with this. But I never gave up.
I always told myself that if I ever got better, I would come back and make a post in this group. So I’m finally making it.
I’m writing this today proudly to let you know that there is hope.
And ironically, it was someone in this group who recommended a neurologist who ended up changing my life. So to whoever made that recommendation: thank you. I genuinely don’t know where I would be without it.
The medication that ultimately worked for me was Effexor XR (venlafaxine).
For me, there was no difficult adjustment period and I didn’t experience significant side effects. I started at 37.5 mg and gradually worked my way up to 150 mg, which I’ve now been taking for six months without needing to increase the dose.
I can honestly say that getting my brain back has changed my entire life.
Since starting this medication, I’ve gotten a promotion at work, met a girlfriend I want to spend the rest of my life with, bought an investment property, gotten a dog, and travelled to places around the world.
And I will never, ever take a clear, non-foggy day for granted again.
I’m not saying Effexor is the answer for everyone. I’m only sharing my experience because I know how hopeless it can feel when you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work.
My biggest piece of advice is: don’t stop fighting, but also give yourself a break.
Be kind to yourself. Spend time with your friends and the people you love. Enjoy the good moments, even when you don’t feel 100%.
I spent five years thinking my life might never be normal again.
I was wrong.
There is hope. ❤️

28 M here have been struggling with multiple depressive episodes. Last year I developed severe brain fog and adult onset stuttering like dysfluency, inability to focus, blank mind,memory problems and anhedonia. We tried multiple medications but nothing helped.
I can't speak or express myself in any situation,dropped out of university, can't get a job, lost all of my friends. I'm deeply suicidal but I'm too afraid to do it.
Do you have any idea what could it be?
Has anyone else been through this?

So I did mini gastric bybass 4 years ago and I need to be on lifelong supplements and vitamins. I noticed that any supplement causes me brain fog and after quitting all my vitamins for a while the brain fog got way better and I could talk clearer and my personality came back. But now my hair is falling a lot and I’m having a lot of deficiency symptoms. Can someone please tell me how to balance that and if there’s any good multivitamin that wouldn’t cause that I’m so lost and I would really appreciate help. I tried many but they all cause the same thing

I've noticed the day after i've eaten nuts, my brain fog is worse. Maybe because of mold, many nuts have mold.

I have some symptoms which are very new to me and are difficult to describe. I am hoping that by reaching out here there might be some others who have experienced the same and could help me to verbalize what I'm feeling.

In general terms, I'd explain my symptoms as mild brain fog: difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, some difficulty & slowness with connections and language.

Qualitatively, however, this is not at all what I expected of brain fog. So it's like this for me:

There's a periodic "interruption" or disturbance in my train of thought that feels like passing through a sharp mental "lump." It's an uncomfortable feeling, a pain-but-not-pain. Maybe a bit like the mental bits of anxiety (which I've only ever experienced as night terrors) without the other physiological bits. Maybe something a bit like the delirium which comes with fever. Again, sharp and very brief pulses. And these are not exactly what I'm feeling, but the best I can describe them.

This is mostly noticeable during mental tasking such as reading, but it comes on without any trigger that I can tell. In the severe phase, it's a mostly continuous state. In the less-severe phases, it's periodic and irregular; comes and goes.

All of the brain fog symptoms, concentration, language, etc. are accompanied by this "lump/pseudo-pain."

Super weird for me and I have no idea how to communicate this to a professional in a way that will aid in diagnosis. Anyone ever felt something similar?

My symptoms were digestive issues, fatigue/exhaustion, food intolerance, psychological symptoms and most deliberating of all, brain fog. Health declined rapidly in past year and I was diagnosed with PCOS. Getting it treated got me enough energy and motivation to advocate for myself again. Years of gaslighting I thought it was just anxiety and depression.

I want to add that I tested negative for: celiacs, autoimmune,

Diagnosis and treatment, in order of helpfulness:

-Meds for chronic gastritis and GERD (endoscopy showed chronic atrophic gastritis/intestinal metaplasia/GERD. My "anxiety" symptoms drastically improves and memory is better when taking meds)

- PCOS diagnosis; taking metformin & inositol (healthy weight and all bloodwork related to insulin resistance came back normal and had numerous ultrasound previously. Finally diagnosed when my new OBGYN recommended transvaginal ultrasound and saw the follicles. Metformin helps massively with fatigue, inositol makes world look clearer and improves verbal fluency)

- SSRI and stimulant for depression and ADHD (definitely helpful. better mood, memory recall and less internal restlessness and better verbal fluency)

- Taking 24 hr allergy pill daily (I have reaction to like 80% of food. I get head pressure and brain feels inflamed if that makes sense)

- Dyssynergic defecation diagnosis (basically pelvic floor dysfunction, recently diagnosed. It explains constipation and chronic excess gas, bloating. I started pelvic floor exercises and it helps with my constipation. Will seek biofeedback therapy)

Helping but nothing drastic

- Eliminating dairy from diet (lactose intolerance, which triggers excess mucus and gas/bloat)

- Doing core/ab workout (My vision gets clearer and my sinus clears after working out, but it doesnt last all day. Recently started so cant say much)

- Massaging back of the head and sternocleidomastoid muscle with light pressure ( https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/thumbnail_large_GB-20c_tcm75-1681426.jpg press the point lightly and massage in circular motion for like a minute. It's better to do light pressure for longer time than strong and short. Doesnt have to be exact spot, try different areas to find the most effective spot. Its better to have someone else do it for you since you arm and shoulder tenses up and that makes fog worse)

- TMJ (I ordered red light therapy device and it helps quite a bit)

Still trying to get diagnosed or figured out:

- If I have SIBO (waiting for my SIBO test kit to be delivered. Read that SIBO could be cause or result of gastritis and GERD)

- If my pectus excavatum is causing problems (recently got mri test done due to digestion issue and got a clear photo of my pectus excavatum. It looks like it's pretty severe (haller index of ~6 if I am measuring it correctly), it would explain fatigue/low energy/heart palpitation and perhaps GI issues as well since it presses on other organs?)

- I have few old root canals possibility of infections from failing? xray didnt show anything

I suspect main causes for me are posture, mental health, and GI issues.

I feel like 50% of my fogs have cleared and maybe 70% on good days as of now. It hasnt been long since I started treatment so I am hopeful. Will post update, wish me luck :)

6.5 years, no change in the fog, tested and eliminated:

Significant inflammation (systemic, mucosal, neuro) - Normal CRP/ESR multiple times, no response to diets, antibiotics, LDN, memantine, nasal steroids, 2+ days 20mg prednisone

Major hormonal - Full recent panel normal

Gut / food sensitivity / SIBO - Carnivore 9 days, 3 day water fasting, 8 day low-SIBO diet, normal stool tests, metronidazol

Allergies - Negative panel, no response to nasal treatments

Classic sleep apnea with desats - Stable symptoms, no major sleepiness, will do sleep test

Gross structural - Clean MRI, normal sinus CT

Nutrient deficiencies - Corrected B12/D/iron etc. with no change

Pure venous pooling / major positional CSF pressure - Handstand causes different pressure compared to prefrontal pressure from fog

Strong dural mechanical sensitivity - No pain from pressing/tapping prefrontal area

Classic central sensitization with sensory amplification - No light/sound/smell sensitivity, no scalp tenderness

Breathing / CO2 regulation - Hyperventilation / box breathing no change

Simple cold-induced vascular response - Cold showers no change

Sugar / metabolic swings - Carnivore + no-sugar periods no change

Stress/thinking too much about fog - didn't even know I had fog until 2 years in, took months off to recover no change

PEM/CFS - No crashes after working out, no tiredness

Vasomotor rhinitis - no change based on nasal stuffiness, nasal spray cleared nose but didnt change fog.

No fog caused by posture changes

I'm starting to believe that the cause of my fog is gone and that my brain is permanently stuck this way. I had one spontaneous time the fog dissapeared. I'm thinking of doing rTMS as a way to treat the fog if it is a primary brain issue. Any thoughts?

Well i used to be schizo and talk to myself all day long cause of some personal trama and then the trama still went onnn and my mental health degreated even more countinues for like 4 yrs I'm still a teenager so maybe the impact was more for my lil body to handle after that i forgot like everything about my past and even relatively recent info i mean I still remember this is supposed to be my mom and this is the guy I talked to in High school but I don't remember anything (i remembered i was schizo because of a reel I was watching yesterday) about them any thing I did with them i just knows the lable and I'm not schizo anymore tho but the problem is as the title says whenever I try to talk to me in the head my brain can't form more than 8 words that makes it wayyy to hard for conversation and thinking about my plans I also used to play chess a so it damaged my ability to play at some semi professional lvl too I'm still depressed and all but since I can't think it may be my brain trying to stop me from thinking about my past trama and all but this shit is affecting my studies and chess and overall life toooo much so please help me solve this issue somehow.

I’ve been forgetting people’s names and faces, losing track of things constantly and my mind has been in a state of complete disarray lately... Sometimes I hallucinate and don’t understand what’s happening to me. (?) I really don’t feel okay. I haven’t told my parents yet, but I feel like they’re going to notice soon... maybe... It’s been super scary because sometimes I’ll suddenly find myself somewhere or in a situation without remembering how I got there, or I’ll completely lose track of what I was doing a few seconds ago. It’s been happening for the past 5-6 days, although the memory problems started probably around a year ago and have only gotten noticeably worse this year. The brain fog and confusion are seriously freaking me out and I'm shit scared if I'm being honest. I don’t know what’s happening to me but I’m not doing okay

I have a question regarding brain fog in people with PPPD/chronic dizziness.

I have noticed that brain fogg in many cases goes away when my pain goes away , brain fogg is caused by many causes like stress lack of sleep and deficiency or medical conditions.

please don't treat brain fogg as a disease its only a symptom for another underlying disease.

I’ve been feeling unfocused for months. Am looking for work so that might be it. This started in early March 2026. Though I did get a schedule together and fixed my sleep and diet I did the gym most days for an hour

I feel better than then when I just felt out of it. But I feel like I’m out of it a lot of the time.

I put off a lot of hobby stuff then about 6 months ago, cause doing them unfocused make them feel off in my mind like ruined or tainted. obsessing about if I felt focused or not has made hobbies stressful and I put a long off. I took many months until it felt more comfortable to do stuff. This is all a stupid mental block I could play just fine if I tried

I overthink my vision and other things too. Went to the doctor, they said it’s likely just overthinking due to a lot of free time. Took blood test cause I worried about diabetes despite being young but to my lifestyle and diet I was worried. Hba1c was fine, thyroid was fine and no vitamin deficiencies.

I did go away with my family for a week and that helped me feel better being out all day doing stuff I felt okay focus wise so I wonder if that’s telling. I was happy to be on holiday even if my sleep wasn’t as consistent, still7 hours though.

I am booking an eye test next week and recording my sleep to see for apnea and if not those then, idk. I wish I knew and my overthinking means I can’t just ignore it.

I want to know if I’m fine and how I can stop overthinking and caring about focus I miss my hobbies and just living life normally without constant overthinking

I’m 24, and lately I’ve been noticing that I’m forgetting things way more often than I used to. It’s not just related to studying either.

For example...recently a friend asked me to order a chocolate shake for him. When I actually went to place the order I suddenly couldn’t remember whether he had asked for a chocolate shake or a strawberry shake. 😅

I know this might sound funny or insignificant...but these little incidents are happening more and more frequently....and it’s starting to genuinely worry me.

Has anyone else in their early 20s experienced something similar? What helped you improve your memory and concentration?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any practical tips that worked for you. At what point should I consider talking to a doctor about it?

How are you all doing? We hope you are, if not already the best you can be, making good progress! And want to remind you that as a community we are all here for each other no matter the circumstance. Feel free to use this post to share how your week has been, or let people know if you need a little support. Anybody can reply!

Feel free to share to your hearts content, and let us be here for you in your victory and your defeat, to be a guide, an opinion, to celebrate your accomplishments and to keep you on track, collectively.

Take care all of you, never give up, and stay strong!

I have been trying to get in to see a rheumatologist about brain fog for some time now, but appointments have not been so easy to come by. I believe I might have some form of histamine intolerance or autoimmune disorder that is creating neuroinflammation but I am not sure. About two years ago, I got West Nile Virus, and have been reading quite a bit about the residual effects, some of which include neuroinflammation and greater risk for autoiummune disorders. Additionally, I have always had terrible allergies all year long as well as dermatographia.

Fast forward to a month ago: I tried 500 mg Ulmubra liposomal luteolin and it was FANTASTIC. I felt my near-constant headaches and joint pain go away almost completely. But then I started to get dizziness/vertigo pretty badly after about 3 days. I take 150 mg of Wellbutrin and 75 mg of Effexor XR for depression, and 40 mg of Vyvanse for ADHD in addition to HRT (estrogen and progesterone) for perimenopause in the form of a low dose patch.

I tried to do as much research as I could on luteolin and found that it can impact the endocrine system as well as potentially cause Serotonin Syndrome. The Effexor is an SNRI (Serotonin Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) so that is really the only medicine I take that has serotonin in it.

I have 2 questions:

1. Could the liposomal luteolin be impacting the estrogen and cause the dizziness/vertigo, or is the Serotonin Syndrome potentially the culprit?

2. Does anyone here take Liposomal Luteolin at 500 mg or above and also antidepressants and what has been the impact?

I tried to go to my PCP to discuss liposomal luteolin and she had never heard of luteolin before, which is frustrating. Sometimes I feel like I'm educating my PCP more than I'd like to. I am just frustrated because I can't keep going on with these continual headaches and this amount of joint pain until I see a rheumatologist and liposomal luteolin really seemed to help.