When You Just Can't Focus: Dealing With Liver Disease Brain Fog

If you are a patient diagnosed with a liver condition such as NASH, you know what I am talking about here. Brain fog is one of the most common side effects from having a liver that is struggling or severely damaged (cirrhosis).

The reason for brain fog

The reason you are feeling “out of it,” unable to concentrate, or like myself do simple math is because the liver is the primary organ in our bodies that's sole purpose is to filter out the toxins in our bodies. When your liver is not functioning 100%, these toxins are not being filtered out of your body. They start getting in our brain.¹

This gives us a dazed, out-of-it type feeling. Many cases can mimic being drunk. Your words begin to slur, and you become lethargic. I want to state that this is a very serious condition that is medically known as hepatic encephalopathy.¹

If left untreated, it can lead to coma and even death.¹ Your doctor needs to be aware you are having these symptoms immediately. There are medications that can be prescribed to help your liver do what it no longer is able to do...filter out toxins.¹

Treating this issue

A commonly used medication is called Lactulose.¹ This is a liquid based prescription that is given to patients who are struggling to filter out toxins and who are experiencing this fog like symptom. This medication is a very thick, very sweet-tasting medication that must be taken daily, sometimes a couple times a day based on your doctors' recommendations.

I will be honest, at first because of my sweet tooth, I LOVED this medication. It quickly became a gag reflex for me.

Unpleasant side effects

I am going to give it to you straight here as I wish someone would have given me the truth as to what will happen. This medication, by design, is to go in trap all the toxins and then flush out of your body. Not to get too descriptive, when I mean “flush” I mean, with in a half hour to full hour after taking this medication, you will need to remain by a bathroom.   

It is a fast-acting medication and although your mind is clearer and you feel alive again, there is the side effect of collecting these toxins and disposing them out of your body. Your doctor will prescribe a dose for you to start off taking and depending on how well your body responds, the dosage may increase or decrease.

It is VERY important that you take this medication because it does have the potential to become very dangerous if not treated.¹ I dreaded taking this medication and my dosage measured out to a shot glass size. So, to make things more fun so to speak, I started “collecting” shot glasses when I traveled. Not because I drank alcoholic shots by any means but, it allowed me to be creative in taking my medications. One day, I will be in San Diego (by my shot glass from there) and that takes my mind away from the nasty part of the medication.

Making medication "fun"

Let me be clear, the medication is sweet and good, but for me, after a while, that is when it became a hold the nose chug thing for me. Others may have a different take on this medication. And that is wonderful. But to play with my own thoughts of dread taking it, I would think about "San Diego” and that trip and then chug the meds.

I am sure some of you have tricked your kids into taking medications, well, this was a way to trick myself so to speak to take this medication. To this day, 14 years later, I still am taking lactulose as my liver is still healing. I have learned to adjust my thoughts to adapt to this way of living. After all, if there is a medication that is able to help my liver out and do the things it is not able to for the time being...I will do it.

Talk with your doctor if you are having any brain fog-like symptoms. It is important to be proactive in your liver care. Let me also note, that there are a couple other tablet and powder forms of similar medications if your doctor deems those to be what your body needs.