wolfmuffin

Hi Bazza!

This is a very interesting thread to me, because I have mild prosopagnosia myself (though not as badly as you describe). For the most part I can pass it off as being bad with names and faces and expressions, but occasionally I'll bump into someone unexpectedly (like in public) where I can't work out who they are from context and have *no idea who they are whatsoever, even if I know them well*.

Here's something you might find interesting. There's a well-known cough syrup that contains dextromethorphan hydrobromide - which is a dissociative which a lot of people abuse - and nothing else. One time in my silly youth (I'm not into this stuff usually) I gave it a go and drank 250mg worth of it (which for most people would cause a mild drunken-like feeling). Something extremely scary happened that I've never heard of happening to anyone else before or since: for a couple of hours I totally and completely lost my ability to comprehend faces.

Not just unable to compare them or remember them like usual. Completely unable to make sense of them. It was like looking at cubistic paintings where the various parts of the face were in the wrong place. It seems the drug actually causes prosopagnosia to temporarily get dramatically worse even with very small doses (though it would seem it can't induce it in people who don't already have it).

I've talked to various neuropharmacologists and neurology researchers and they have totally and completely failed to explain why this happens.

Have you ever found any (medical or recreational) drugs to make it better or worse?

Not really, no. Tried a bit of weed around the same era but everything else I've taken has been medical.

Also, this is way, way below hallucination doses -- this is like 1st to 2nd plateau doses.

This begs the question of whether cutting off contact with their family is ever even slightly appropriate or ethical.