What is Wet Brain? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

The effects of drinking alcohol can create both long and short-term memory problems. Long-term memory is “retrospective” memory, and short-term memory is “prospective” memory. Wet brain treatment may require alcohol abstinence, thiamine or magnesium supplements, and physical or occupational therapy. Treatment should be administered at a medical center or rehabilitation facility. This deficiency can also be caused by malnutrition, anorexia, AIDs, certain types of cancer, and specific surgeries. Therefore, even people who don’t have an alcohol addiction have a chance of developing this syndrome.

In most cases, Wernicke’s encephalopathy symptoms will kick in first. If the affected individual fails to seek treatment at this point, the condition worsens. It’s possible for patients with wet brain to develop Wernicke’s encephalopathy and not Korsakoff’s psychosis. When both symptoms are present, the symptoms are similar to dementia. The group that is most likely to develop wet brain is those with long-term alcohol abuse. This is because Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is triggered by a thiamine deficiency, which can be caused by overconsumption of alcohol. Thiamine is incredibly important for many bodily systems and tissues to function properly.

Treatment for Wet Brain

The condition is also referred to asalcoholic dementiabecause of its ability to cause severe memory loss and induce hallucinations and behavioral changes, which are all hallmarks of dementia. People with Korsakoff’s https://ecosoberhouse.com/ psychosis experience memory loss and have difficulty forming new memories. You might find that they can narrate an ordeal to you in detail an hour after it happens but cannot remember it a few days later.

• Continuing your addiction treatment with a drug and alcohol rehab program can help you develop the necessary life skills and coping strategies to maintain your sobriety.
• The vitamin thiamine also referred to as Vitamin B1, is required by three different enzymes to allow for conversion of ingested nutrients into energy.
• Korsakoff’s psychosis happens because of permanent damage to parts of the brain that are responsible for memory recall.
• To learn which behavioral signs to look for, check them out here.
• For those who have Korsakoff syndrome,25% can recover from wet brainwith supplemental treatment.
• Seeking medical treatment is the first step of the treatment process for wet brain syndrome.

Wet brain can be reversed if it is caught when the first symptoms of memory problems appear. A lack of thiamine can cause neurological symptoms caused be legions that form due to a lack of thiamine.

Alcohol–thiamine interactions

If a person is exhibiting signs of wet brain, they will need to be treated for nutritional deficiencies in a hospital. IV injections of B vitamins and magnesium can helpreverse the symptoms of wet brain. Patients may also need to stay in the hospital for a period of time, so medical professionals can adequately monitor what is mush brain their condition and prevent adverse health problems from alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Brain damage from alcohol abuse occurs when a person drinks heavily and for many years. Those with an alcohol use disorder and other health issues that make thiamine absorption difficult or impossible are at risk of wet brain.

Wet brain can be extremely difficult to deal with as a family member or loved one of the afflicted individuals, but it is even worse if the problem is affecting you. It can be scary and frustrating, so try to have as much patience with your loved one as you can. As soon as you recognize symptoms, you need to get medical attention right away. A number of proposals have been put forth to fortify alcoholic beverages with thiamine to reduce the incidence of WKS among those heavily abusing alcohol. Alcohol addiction is extremely difficult to overcome on your own..

Wernicke’s encephalopathy

Alcoholics Anonymous groups can be found almost everywhere in the country. Ultimately, you must seek a loving community and find others to support you through this process. Those with memory loss could become more fearful and distrustful of others.5 There could be anxiety due to worry about the future. They could develop a sense of loneliness because they might forget that they have had interactions with loved ones. People with Korsakoff syndrome can carry normal conversations for the most part, but moments after, they might be unable to recall any aspect of the conversation or whom they were speaking with. People with this syndrome might also make up information to replace the gaps in memory. Eventually, the body will form beriberi, a disorder that affects the circulatory and nervous systems.

• It would be best to go to a detox center that is prepared and able to successfully help you or your loved one through detoxing in a stable, safe, and controlled environment.
• The thiamine supplements can improve certain symptoms, like delirium and confusion.
• This treatment is not guaranteed to be effective and the thiamine needs to be administered adequately in both dose and duration.
• It was written based on peer-reviewed medical research, reviewed by medical and/or clinical experts, and provides objective information on the disease and treatment of addiction .
• This condition is separate from Korsakoff syndrome, although the two are closely linked and usually considered different phases of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
• Additionally, people suffering from alcoholism are less likely to consume well-rounded, healthy diets, which is how you get enough vitamin B1 into your system.

Abstaining from alcohol is another effective way to prevent symptoms from turning into Korsakoff’s psychosis. “Wet brain” is a term used to describe the chronic brain disorder, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis. Wernicke’s encephalopathy devolves into Korsakoff’s psychosis when wet brain goes undiagnosed and untreated. At this stage, a person with this condition might find it difficult to walk or become confused when engaging in daily activities such as getting dressed. Around 80 to 90% of people with alcohol use disorder who have Wernicke’s encephalopathy develop Korsakoff’s psychosis. Many people who struggle with alcohol addiction find it challenging to take care of themselves. This often leads to poor diets and chronic alcohol abuse, which can cause you to have a lack of thiamine in your body.

Signs and Symptoms of Wet Brain

Early treatment in this stage, typically with thiamine supplements, can alleviate symptoms and prevent the condition from degenerating into Korsakoff’s psychosis. Although Wernicke’s encephalopathy is generally caused by alcoholism, other potential causes include severe malnutrition, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, andsevere anorexia. The level of brain damage that occurs with wet brain is directly correlated to how much and how often someone drinks. People who start problem drinking at young ages, and drink heavily will be at higher risk of developing wet brain than those who drink moderately or don’t develop alcoholism until they are older. When most people think about drinking-related problems, they picture car accidents, fights, and run-ins with the police. But problem drinking can also lead to a range of severe and sometimes irreversible health problems.

Depending on when the disease was treated, the prognosis differs. In general, if doctors catch the disease early and are able to treat it, the prognosis is quite good. Thiamine supplements will improve most symptoms other than memory loss and cognitive impairment. The mortality rate for Wernicke’s encephalopathy is only at about 10% to 20%.