A Death Sentence For Your Brain

The anticonvulsant and pain medications Neurontin (gabapentin) and Lyrica (Pregabalin) are a death sentence for your brain.   

These medications (gabapentinoids) have been used over time as anti-seizure drugs but have been expanded to use for nerve pain, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory conditions.  These drugs will halt Glutamate production which is an excitatory neurotransmitter. The drugs are intended to inhibit brain function in hopes to decrease your risk of a seizure (an overactive brain) or nerve pain (overactive nerves).  

New research provides even stronger evidence that these drugs block the formation of brain synapses (your brain's communication with the body) and degenerate the grey matter (where the synapses live) of the brain.    The grey matter includes regions of the brain involved in muscle control, and sensory perception such as seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision-making, and self-control.  

Translation:  Damaged grey matter and synapses is a driving force of Brain Fog, Loss of Memory, Depression, Anxiety, other Mood Disorders, lack of coordination, tremors, and the list goes on.

The use of these drugs has increased in the last 5 years and are a catalyst for brain degeneration.  Based on most current statistics, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are on the rise.  We must be aware of the side effects with long-term use of these drugs.   

More importantly, the removal of debris and waste from the brain is necessary.  Commonly overlooked, the improvement of the Glial and Lymphatic System (Glymphatic system) of the brain is very important.  Find out how to repair the damage from these drugs and get your brain working optimally.

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In a recent editorial in the journal Addiction, the author from a pain clinic in the UK outlined the growing problem of Gabapentin and Lyrica misuse. In the last 5 years alone, she noted that the prescription rates have increased by 150 and 350 percent respectively. In her article, she expressed great concern regarding the overuse of the drugs and the lack of effectiveness in the majority of prescribed cases. She stated that “prescribing gabapentinoids in clinical practice has proved more hazardous than in the supervised context of a clinical trial where drugs are prescribed in fixed doses to selected low-risk individuals”.

A March 2017 animal study identified another scary adverse side effect from Lyrica. Animals were given either a single dose or a daily dose of varying amounts of pregabalin (Lyrica) for 21 days. Immediately after the three weeks, skeletal muscle tissue was evaluated for injury and oxidative stress. Regardless of the dose, pathological damage was found. The worst damage occurred with long-term use, displayed as a significant loss of muscle or muscle atrophy, and high levels of inflammatory cells infiltrating the muscles. This led to cell degeneration after just 21 days of exposure to the drug. This is yet another example of “a death sentence to cells”. Many with chronic pain disorders are given this drug for years. 

It has been somewhat of a mystery how Lyrica/pregabalin actually works. In a recent cellular study, scientists found that Lyrica decreased nerve firing in the part of the brain called the dentate gyrus and cells called granule cells. The dentate gyrus is in the input region or receiving area of the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in learning, memory, and spatial relationship interpretation. New nerve cells in this area are generated throughout all ages of life, but Lyrica was found to dampen or inhibit the rate of signals for the generation of new cells. 

Other new information showed that Lyrica treatment shrunk the brain’s grey matter in fibromyalgia patients treated with short-term use of Lyrica. As previously mentioned, the drug blocked the production of the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate. 

This is felt as pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, etc. 

What can be done to improve brain function after long-term use of these drugs?

Nutritional support is integral to maintaining brain function and reducing inflammation, especially with patients using these drugs. Key nutrients to support the brain include acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, DHA, curcumin, MSM, methylated B vitamins, coenzyme Q10, calcium, magnesium, boswellia, vitamin D, and many others. 

 As mentioned above, supporting the glymphatic system of the brain is of the utmost importance. You can improve and encourage the optimal efficiency of this system with Infrared Sauna, Craniosacral Therapy, and IWG’s cutting-edge technology called Bioresonance Scanning.  These therapies are effective and non-invasive for improving overall brain function.  In addition,  qEEG (quantitative electroencephalography)  can evaluate and map your brain to evaluate brain imbalances, abnormal sleep patterns, behavioral issues, and chemical insufficiencies. A simple, noninvasive technique called Neurofeedback can repair these imbalances permanently.  

Whether you are struggling with a current set of symptoms or just trying to feel your best, we’re here to help you reach the highest levels of your health.  

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1. ^ Neurontin and Lyrica are Highly Toxic to New Brain Synapses  Cell  Çagla Eroglu, Nicola J. Allen, Michael W. Susman, Nancy A. O'Rourke, Chan Young Park, Engin Özkan, Chandrani Chakraborty, Sara B. Mulinyawe, Douglas S. Annis, Andrew D. Huberman, Eric M. Green, Jack Lawler, Ricardo Dolmetsch, K. Christopher Garcia, Stephen