Drug Abuse

Question by Sandra Willcot: How can you tell if someone has brain damage, or some disorder from drug abuse?
I recently found a bunch of codeine bottles in my nieces room, about 6 empty ones,and 3 half empty ones. She admitted to me that she has been using them. Of coarse i told her parents,and they’ve put her in counseling. But i think that she may have some medical problems related to the drugs.
for example
she can be talking to me, and then stop in a middle of a sentence and “forget” what she was going to Say
Or she will double over in pain sometimes, crying that her stomach is pain, and after about 7min she’ll just get up, and say ‘its all better’
And yesterday night she had this headache, and she looked like she was in so much pain, and when she woke up this morning, her nose was bleeding really bad. Im not sure if any of these things are connected, but im scared for her. do you have any idea, if this could be from abusing drugs?
Additional details that may help: She’s only 16, and she has had problems with these things before. She went to the ER twice for Achohol poisoning. But those are the extent to what she takes. Or at least all they’ve found do far

Best answer:

Answer by Bob Howard
Take her to the doctor and get it checked out… Maybe the headache was caused by drugs (if shes still doing them) and the blood may have been caused by the drugs too (possibly cocaine?!) Or from her snorting something up her nose!

Answer by Dr George
You don’t state so many important factors that only a complete evaluation could provide any answers to your questions. Her “abuse” of drugs can certainly lead to neurological complications. There are many people in treatment today who suffer from poly-drug abuse. In those cases, their mental illness can be traced to long term use of a variety of mind altering substances.
The things that you describe almost sound like an opiate withdrawal. Don’t try to second guess what is going on. She needs to be evaluated by a medical professional. She may have, or may have created a serious medical compromise in her system if she has been abusing codeine for a long period of time. Anyone who would attempt to “guess” at what is going on with her would be wrong as it takes a lot more clinical information and evaluation before making any determination.

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