What is Wet Brain? Can Wet Brain Be Reversed?

Treatment often involves hospitalization and significant, long-term lifestyle changes. You may have heard the term “wet brain” in connection with long-term, heavy alcohol use. It’s a colloquial term for the medical condition Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This brain disorder refers to two separate conditions that often occur together. The first stage is Wernicke encephalopathy, then Korsakoff syndrome can develop after the symptoms of the first disorder begin to lessen. At this point in wet brain syndrome, treatment can manage symptoms, but brain damage from drinking is severe and permanent. Patients who suffer from Korsakoff psychosis may be unable to care for themselves.

Thiamine deficiency is strongly linked to the brain syndrome known as Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome or “wet brain.” It is mostly developed as a result of alcohol abuse. It is hard to know how many people may have Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome because thesymptoms are similar to the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal or intoxication at times.

Wet Brain Syndrome: A Consequence of Alcohol Abuse

The cells’ utilization of thiamine can be affected in different ways by chronic alcohol use. As mentioned earlier, once thiamine is imported into the cells, it is first converted into ThDP by the addition of two phosphate groups. ThDP then binds to the thiamine–using enzymes, a reaction that requires the presence of magnesium. In this case, any thiamine that reaches the cells cannot be used effectively, exacerbating any concurrently existing thiamine deficiency. The main function of these pathways is the generation of a molecule called adenosine triphosphate , which provides energy for numerous cellular processes and reactions. Decreases in the activities of PDH and α–KGDH can result in reduced ATP synthesis, which in turn can contribute to cell damage and even cell death. The citric acid cycle and α–KGDH play a role in maintaining the levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate, gamma–aminobutyric acid , and aspartate, as well as in protein synthesis.

• Along with medical detox, there are many different treatment modalities that are available to help patients who are suffering from addiction problems.
• Left untreated, alcoholism can cause numerous long-term, severe health issues, including cognitive deficits and cancer.
• Wet brain is a progressive syndrome, so the sooner you can get medical help, the more likely you are to prevent further brain damage.
• This is especially true if the person is addicted to alcohol or physically dependent on it, which can be difficult for friends and family members to accept.
• The key to treating wet brain is to receive treatment as soon as possible.

Doctors will help patients identify a more well-rounded diet of vitamin B1. While wet brain isn’t curable, early detection can help treat symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. These signs — coupled with a doctor’s awareness of the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ patient’s alcohol addiction —could lead to further neurological testing. “Encephalopathy” refers to any disease that affects the structure or function of the brain. In Wernicke’s encephalopathy, this commonly refers to bleeding of the brain.

Recovering from Wet Brain

It’s is a chronic condition that can develop if Wernicke encephalopathy is not treated promptly. This is what leads to a vitamin B1 or thiamine deficiency that causes this brain disorder in most people who have it. If you or a loved one is an alcoholic or has been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, a medically-assisted inpatient alcohol detox program can help you safely detox from alcohol without complications. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be severe and even deadly, in some cases, so detoxing under medical supervision is always the safest and most effective way to quit alcohol and begin a new, sober lifestyle. Early diagnosis and treatment can reverse some of the symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy, which is the first stage of the condition. Administering high doses of thiamine is the first course of action when treating wet brain because the brain severely lacks the nutrient. However, this is most effective in the early stages of the condition, where thiamine can still help to improve brain function.

Again, a wet brain occurs following a severe deficiency of vitamin B1 in your system. Lesions form on the brain that causes a variety of difficult symptoms. These symptoms develop over a few days or weeks, and they get progressively worse. Rehabilitation programs provide individual and group therapy, and sometimes family therapy. These therapies help the person understand the sources of their alcohol addiction and develop better coping mechanisms to deal with cravings and stress.

How to Prevent Wet Brain

As a result of this isolation, many people who suffer from alcohol abuse develop depression, anxiety, and other disorders and emotional struggles. When a person is suffering from addiction combined with things like depression, it can be even harder for him or her to overcome substance abuse. There is no cut-and-dry life expectancy for someone with wet brain; some people completely recover from the syndrome, while others deal with symptoms for the rest of their lives due to the brain damage.

However, the typical pattern that constitutes wet brain is the development of Wernicke encephalopathy followed by Korsakoff’s psychosis. Untreated, long-term alcoholism can result in a host of negative consequences, from social isolation and unemployment to fatal cirrhosis of the liver. Wet brain syndrome is one of the physical risks of alcoholism that can’t be treated once it has progressed past a certain point. Wet brain, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome , is a brain disorder related to the acute and chronic phases of a vitamin B1 deficiency. Thiamine depletion is seen in individuals with poor nutrition and is a common complication of long-term heavy drinking.

Signs and symptoms

If you get proper medical care when you are in the early stages of wet brain syndrome, the symptoms can be reversed. However, if the disease is left to progress, the symptoms cannot be reversed. There are two reasons why thiamine deficiency happens when you drink large amounts of alcohol. The only way to get proper amounts of thiamine is by eating a proper diet. Unfortunately, many individuals who suffer from alcohol abuse and alcoholism don’t consume a well-balanced diet that contains enough thiamine. The outcome of wet brain is determined by the progression of the disease. Receiving treatment early before permanent damage occurs will greatly raise your chances.

When someone drinks large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time, they can experience a form of permanent brain damage called wet brain. Wet brain happens when a person is deficient in vitamin B1, or thiamine. The body needs adequate levels of thiamine, a water-soluble vitamin, for heart and nervous system function. Thiamine also helps the body maintain the right levels of glucose in the bloodstream. For heavy alcohol drinkers, long-term alcohol use and binge drinking can lead to lasting impairments and effects on brain function related to poor nutrition.

Fortunately, when an alcoholic wet brain is still in this first stage, it is treatable if addressed immediately with Wet Brain from Alcoholism intravenous thiamine. Treatment must occur at this acute stage, and in a hospital to monitor for adverse reactions.

The thiamine supplements can improve certain symptoms, like delirium and confusion. However, it will not improve symptoms related to memory loss or cognitive impairment. Essentially, this part of the condition is characterized by persistent memory problems and learning difficulties. By the time that patients have developed Korsakoff’s psychosis, they are often forgetful.

Taurine is most likely to be given to patients who also struggle with cardiocirculatory impairment. Depending on the amount of brain damage sustained, some doctors may also prescribe anti-inflammatories. Before the thiamine supplements are given, most doctors will check the thiamine levels in the blood of each patient.