415_stylee

Yes, it helps against that type of "itchy" anxiety as social and generalized anxiety is. This is because of the unique type of mechanism Keppra has; it's a calcium channel blocker, but at the same time it acts as an specialized MAOI on GABA! It reduces some of the brain-blood barrier blocking of GABA, leading to increased transmission. Kind of like a reversed benzo, instead of increasing the synaptic firing, Keppra clears the path for the GABA signaling. Therefore, the effect is persisting and even, with no tolerance build-up and no addiction! Quite amazing actually! Luukzorika, try it. Richard, you should take two doses a day, since the duration of action is 12 hours on the spot. Onset is 1.5 hours, time it well to avoid dips in the effects. This is if you have the standard release Keppra, if you have the XR version only one dose per day is needed. Also, both of you keep in mind, Keppra is a great medicine, but it's not a miracle cure for neither HPPD or anxiety. It does help a lot by itself, but the rest is up to you. You'll find it easier to analyze and control the anxiety, which helps the work to get rid of the causes. It pulls your head above the water, so to speak, but getting the rest up, takes effort from you. Myself, I found it less frightening to be around people or in crowds with Keppra, due to less DP/DR, better cognition, and a minor decrease in visuals. Since I'm a political activist, I need to speak in front of crowds and have discussions with strangers. Keppra took me over the first threshold (to begin), then I gradually became less anxious the more I dared to challenge the anxiety. Now I almost never feel uncomfortable anymore, I'm in control! Almost my whole life before, I had severe social anxiety and agoraphobia. The period from 2007-2013, I spent most of the time avoiding people entirely, to avoid anxiety. Now I'm doing things which I could never imagine myself doing, thanks to Keppra (and my other meds). But most of it is because with these meds, it became easier to struggle against my problems and overcome quite a few of them! Hope any of my ramblings make any sense.. ;-)

I think it's a really good combo! I'm very tolerant to Wellbutrin, but some people are not.. I think it's due to the increased uptake of norepiniphrine specifically, as it increases alertness and jitteriness for some people to an uncomfortable point, therefore anxiety can increase. Finding the right dose is important. Some people can not tolerate anything more than 150 mg a day, while some takes 300 mg without any problems. Keppra can reduce some of the increased activity, making it smoother. You should begin a setting in with Keppra first and finding the right dose. Might take a few months. After that, get Wellbutrin to the right dose. Might take some months also.. Then you'll get the benefits of both; more energy and happiness, and less anxiety. Like a push on the gas pedal, with a gentle push on the brake at the same time.. ;-)

Maybe you're overstraining yourself, Mr50's.. All of these things are good for the health, but overdoing it "more is better" will actually worsen everything in the end. Remember to rest a lot and relax.. I only train two times a week now, eat junk food occasionally (most of the time I eat healthy though), and have less quantity and more quality with social contacts. Much resting every day, with much time on my own. I'm unable to meditate though, since it requires sitting still which is impossible with ADHD.. ;-) This works good for me, but a little too much of anything, and the dissociation, irritable mood, pains and migraines comes knocking again. I think you should find out where your limit is set.. The middle way is usually the right way IMO.. :-)

I have the med combo of Concerta + Wellbutrin + Keppra + Zolpidem. Concerta and Wellbutrin alleviates my ADHD, making me less nervous and restless, more focused and much calmer. Keppra keeps the HPPD in better check, has given a 10% improvement of symptoms and halts the infamous HPPD worsening caused by Methylphenidate (Concerta). It also provides me with better sleep, almost no wake-ups during the night. Which in turn makes my mood better (feel more rested). It has also worked miracles against my generalized anxiety, which also lowers the risk for panic anxiety. DP/DR is almost gone also, hell the DR+agoraphobia+panic attacks made me a social recluse in the end.. Now it's gone! :-D My memory and cognition is a lot better from Keppra, it has dissipated a lot of the "brain fog". In the first month of Keppra usage, you'll surely get the "Keppra Rage", which includes; rage, irratable mood, depression etc. This completely disappears after the first month, after that the beneficial effects comes on more and more. Patience.. I've had Lorazepam, which is a good benzo for quick relief, but I got addicted to it and suffered a hellish withdrawal. It could be an emergency help, but the prescription has to be very limited, like one package at 3-6 months spacing. Otherwise it'll do more harm than good.. I've had Wellbutrin since september 2011, Keppra since January 2013, and Concerta since May 2014. All used daily according to directions.

Yes indeed! It gives a boost in confidence and social interactions for many people, more so than any SSRI. You'll feel a lot more comfortable to be around other people. DNRI does not feel the same as SSRI. It inhibits reuptake of dopamine and norepiniphrine. Dopamine regulates happiness, motorics, enthusiasm, wakefulness and attention. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine Serotonin has a wide variety of effects, one of them is 5HT2A receptor (almost all SSRI's bind to this receptor) activation which regulates *drumroll* psychedelia! No wonder SSRI's are horrible with HPPD, they perpetuate the root cause of HPPD! http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin With Effexor in particular (but also with most other SSRI and SNRI) there are some other unwanted side effects; weight gain and sexual dysfunction. Wellbutrin does the opposite, weight loss and gives a + to sexual function. These are major factors for a relief of social anxiety aswell. DNRI: energy, motivation, happiness. SSRI: numbs you out, synthetic happiness. It seems today, according to research, that DNRI's are more beneficial against depression than SSRI's. However the norepiniphrine effect are in the setting in period of Wellbutrin, nasty. It makes your heart beat a bit faster and makes you a bit jittery also. Maybe it causes the spike in HPPD symptoms the first week also. This subsides gradually though, after a month or so you'll only feel the good effects. DNRI and SSRI differs like day and night! Labels like "antidepressant" can be very misleading..

Try Lamictal maybe, though there might be an even larger risk of crappy liver values.. However, every person has a different response to meds so Lamictal which was incompatible with me, might work for you.

The eyes have to work hard with HPPD, to keep focus through the mist of VS, photosensitivity, warping objects and color confusion to name a few symptoms.. No wonder that they get strained and dry.. ;-) Also, I get this mostly from a combination of visual strain, mental strain and physical strain. Like neuroton says, it's very reminiscent of how you feel with a migraine on the way.. The soreness behind the eyes seems to be caused by an swelling of the blood vessels behind the eye ball, common with migraines and cluster headaches. I have a combination of dry, strain and pressure soreness in the eyes every day, one or more all the time without stop. Thinking of getting eye drops to alleviate the worst periods a bit, though prevention is the most important. Which is: wearing sunglasses as much as possible and avoiding too much stress on the mind and body..

I think it might be the HPPD also playing a part. If you persistently feel lightheaded, dissociated and dizzy (yes it can last more than 24 hours easy), without any external triggers, it's the signature type of anxiety & DP/DR which is related to HPPD itself. Or rather to the damaged pathways in the brain, which also brings on HPPD. There's also a type of pain called "neuropathic pain" which the CNS is responsible for, charactherized by tingling, pins and needles, hot and cold spots and "bruising" spots. These are by evidence very common comorbid symptoms with HPPD. Needless to say, they can in turn trigger emotional responses, such as fear, panic anxiety and hypochondria etc. The best medical alleviation for the HPPD specific comorbid problems are anti-epileptics in general (Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine, Valproic acid etc.) but in particular Levetiracetam (Keppra). Maybe give one of these anti-EP:s a try also? The sharp pain in the chest I'm 99% sure is the muscles in between the ribs squeezing hard, due to anxiety. Many people misinterpret this pain as some kind of heart attack, go to the ER and gets it diagnosed as an panic attack. Very common, and nothing strange with that, as the symptoms are fairly similar. But the pain from a heart attack is much sharper and pushes a part of the vagus nerve which runs down the left arm.

Well, it's worth considering those additives. Generally, try to stick with more natural foods. Fried food should be avoided at all costs, it's garbage to the whole body. Alternatives are to eat oven baked or cooked. Skip out all refined sugars, go for natural occuring ones. Honey is a good alternative, also the natural sugar types in fruits. Though be wary about pesticides on the outer peel. Ecological would be to prefer. Go for non-saturated fats. Fat fish such as mackerel and salmon are loaded with omega 3 and lots of other good nutrients. Use olive oil instead for butter and frying oil, and dont heat it too much. It's best eaten with salad or bread, cold. Wholegrain is better than refined meal. Water instead of soft drinks, put lemon slices in it to give it a flavor. And drink a lot (2 litres a day at least). Basically, a Mediterranean (Cretan) diet. I understand it must be hard in USA to eat healthier, everything seems to have nasty additives and/or be bombarded with the worst types of fat and sugars. Try to seek out better foods no matter how hard or expensive it may be. For me it has improved my general health, kept my weight, levels of blood sugar and kept HPPD in better check. It also makes the skin look better and makes the body scent more fresh. Maybe I strayed a bit from the food additive subject, but there are more things than just additives that can affect health and with that HPPD...

You should avoid SSRI's and SNRI's. There are none that are HPPD compatible. Instead see if you can get Wellbutrin (bupropion). It's an DNRI antidepressant, works very well with HPPD, aside from the first month of setting in which can be harsh. It does not affect serotonin at all, which is good because HPPD is a bit caused by a serotonin management dysfunction (overcharge). Besides, it contributes to weight loss and smoking cessation! It is a substituted amphetamine, but no worries, it's not a controlled substance and is not a bit addictive. Go for the extended release form (Wellbutrin XR or Voxra). http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bupropion

Strange about the liver values, since Keppra doesn't metabolize in the liver. It bypasses the liver entirely, but puts a bit of extra load on the kidneys.. Did you take high doses of pure pyroxidine (B6) to counter the loss of B6 which Keppra initially causes? Since the liver values were so messed up, and you got "Keppra Rage" chances are you didn't.. It's vital in the beginning to do so.. Maybe it was some kind of interaction with another medicine? I have never had elevated liver values except one period when I drank alcohol like a sponge.. It takes quite a while for the most of the benefits to take effect and stabilize, I think it almost took 6 months and one dosage increase for me. Lamictal is not very fabulous, sorry.. And it metabolizes in the liver. It doesn't really reduce visuals a bit IMO, and doesn't help anxiety much. It does make the brain feel more "clear", but Keppra does the same a whole lot better. Much less nasty side effects with Keppra also. Consider if there was something of the above mentioned which caused the elevated liver values and go for Keppra again maybe?

It's worth the struggle for Keppra. I got it in January 2013, after many years of nagging on various doctors. And it was totally worth it.. Keep on trying to convince the doctors, someone will listen in the end. The most common problem with prescription from a psychatrist is that Keppra is only used as add-on anti-EP in many countries. In some countries it's used against an myriad of disorders, neuropathic pain, ADHD, Alzheimer, autism and of course HPPD. Tell your doctor about how well tolerated Keppra is and "why not give it a try, it might be beneficial". Tell them to read about how it benefits your specific disorders. Some doctors are very sloppy about reading, others read about every detail. Get a doctor who's not sloppy! :-)

Dosage of Oxazepam is 10-30 mg. The very first pill was 5 mg for me, a first response effect, before the body recognizes the substance. Next time was 10 mg for effect, a week later 15 mg, then 20 mg and so on.. My base dose for anxiolytic effects is 20 mg, I use them less than once a month now. I stopped using them too much since I noticed it went the same way as Lorazepam, which I went from 1 mg to 4 mg after 1 month of almost daily use. Suffered a horrible withdrawal, which thanks to the short use time, didn't last too long. Interesting with benzos, how a beginning dose can go from having effect, to needing more than 3-4 times that dose for even having an effect in a period of weeks! They go from "oh I'm hammered" to "Hmm did I take sugar pills?".. ;-)

Hmm yes! I always get sunglasses to wear. It is very hard to lie under such a strong light for such a long time with HPPD. You'll feel a lot better afterwards if you wear them! Opiates are no problem if it would be needed. General anaesthetics (N2O in particular) would be the things to avoid. Also, make sure that they don't start drilling before the Novocaine fully has numbed the affected area out. They can sometimes begin too early..

http://www.livestrong.com/article/153006-early-warning-signs-of-a-seizure/#page=7 After checking your meds and symptoms, I'm sure this is it. Feelings of dread/death/doom are quite common with seizures.. HPPD is a kind of partial seizures, QEEG scans show. Now with partial seizures, you'll not fall down and froth. Visual disturbances (auras around objects, static), feelings of dread, motoric jitteriness, dissociation are common symptoms. Sound familiar? Kind of like an HPPD spike.. You should quit Lexapro. SSRI's are a big no no with HPPD. These types of meds increases electrical activity in the brain, which equals worsening of HPPD, DP/DR, dread feelings etc. Actually, be careful with Concerta and Wellbutrin also. You should get an anti-EP to suppress the electrical activity. Keppra works best, Lamictal, valproic acid or Carbamazepine would be OK second hand choices. Antihistamines are crap, since you have ADHD I'm guessing you have restless legs also, all of them will make RLS so bad that you'll literally want to amputate your legs to get rid of the anthill in the legs! ;-) For me Keppra has completely removed these "dread/doom" feeling. I had it off and on all days before, now there has not been a relapse in years! My daily meds are Concerta 54 mg, Wellbutrin XR 300 mg, Keppra 1000 mg, Zolpidem 10 mg. I've not been this stable before since the HPPD broke out 8 years ago. But of course, like Jay says, the world on the other hand has not been so f***ed and on an implosion course ever before.. That's the only thing worrying me nowadays! And yes, you might feel alienated from a world which is so alien, cold and deranged as today's world is. That's natural.. :-)

Lamictal: helps some with HPPD, doesn't make it worse at least. Antipsychotics: Infamous for making HPPD worse! Permanently? Possibly. Since you have them as an extra stabilizer for bipolar, don't quit them without a doctors consideration! Sometimes an anti-EP such as Keppra or Lamictal is enough for stabilizing bipolar, sometimes not. A friend of mine has psychotic tendencies, and HPPD. He quit all antipsychotics with his doctors consideration, and only uses Keppra now. With great success, no psychosis relapse, HPPD and cognitive improvement. Stress and poor sleep: The worst for HPPD in a class of it's own! From empirical evidence (myself) it can worsen it temporarily from short periods. Burnouts can permanently worsen HPPD! Hope this answers your question! :-)

It is most likely anxiety. It sets the whole system in alert. Chest tightness defends the internal organs, neck tightness defends the neck, circulation gets prioritized to the torso and head. Glucose depots in the liver excretes until they're drained. Therefore the tingling, racing heart, cold limbs and feverish head/torso, lightheadedness and overtense muscles. Shoveling in benzos is a temporary relief, but makes the whole problem worse in the end.. The question you should ask is: What triggered the anxiety. Remember that even such things as feeling dizzy or having an upset stomach can trigger an panic attack, because the brain associates these sensations with panic attacks, therefore it can trigger one. Most of the times it is some kind of fear or phobia which triggers them. And some are not related to any of the above, but happens because of surges in electric activity in the brain, both HPPD'ers, migraine sufferers and epileptics get this. Usually it's strong feelings of dread and doom. In your case I would probably say it's the first of these examples, since you say you're a hypochondriac. Vague physical symptoms--> interpretation of it like it's an heart attack--> Alert mode, fear--> Panic attack!! Does it sound like a likely flow chart for this event in particular? Then the solution would be; did you sleep enough? Low blood sugar? Eat something bad? Maybe a stressful day? Or maybe to much hypochondria forced itself into your thoughts? Keep these factors in check = removing anxiety triggers. I hope my very lenghty answer helps you understand more of what's happening to you.. You're on a good way already, quitting benzos and admitting you have a problem with hypochondria is the beginning of winning the fight against anxiety! :-)

I began with 5 mg and now I need 20 mg for some kind of effect at all.. Oh lovely benzos, causing tolerance and addiction like nothing else! Oxazepam is the most sedating of all benzos I've tried, it does cut anxiety quite well, but doesn't reduce visuals much. Diazepam has alcohol type drunken feeling to it and does not cut anxiety or aggression well.. Lorazepam is the best I've used, cuts anxiety and aggression completely and is quite fast acting (onset is 20-30 minutes). Reduces visuals a bit too. Not very sedating also! Be careful to not use any benzo too much or for too long periods time. 3-4 times a week with days in between is the upper limit I would say. 2 weeks with daily use will surely cause an addiction, you'll feel a nasty withdrawal if you quit cold turkey EVEN if it is a really short period of time!

Something with 5HT2A receptor overstimulation.. which tells the GABA-B inhibition to stop.. And then some pyramidial cells commit harakiri due to increased electrical firing.. And then this whole pathway looks like a city hit by a tsunami and might not fix itself, leaving you with HPPD, DP/DR and feeling perma-fried! Something like that!

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/nitrous/nitrous.shtml Dissociative Anaesthetic Gas.. "Minor to strong hallucinations & visualizations".. Yikes! Not HPPD compatible.. Go for the Novocaine injection and let your weary central nervous system rest a bit..

I live in Gothenburg, Sweden. All doctors are half-wits when it comes to HPPD here. Not to mention psychiatry in general, which is stuck in the 50's. They still use electroshock theraphy and primitive drugs like phentiazines. It's also infamous as the "benzo-coast" a fitting term since here on the West Coast most doctors seem to have a nasty love for prescribing benzos as a universal fix for everything, resulting in the highest proportion of benzo addicts in the whole of Sweden.. If you have HPPD and/or psychiatric problems, avoid Sweden and in particular Gothenburg!!

No, but I've had Sertraline. And it was horrible for everything.. Both are SSRI's, which are particularly innapropriate medications for HPPD. Avoid them! Use Wellbutrine against depression, an DNRI (it's actually a chopped and screwed ketoamphetamine) which is quite safe to use and nicer to the HPPD. Plus, it helps for weight loss and doesn't have the sexual side effects which SSRI's are infamous for..

Stay away from 5htp extracts.. The only 5htp (serotonin) you should be getting is from your own brain's production and dietary sources (dairy and poultry). Read more in this wiki article: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan And remember, you have HPPD and is still a teenager.. Which means depression is unavoidable! ;-) Try to counteract the real-world causes of depression. If you never go out, go out. To little friends, try to make new friends.. Etc, etc.. There's no magic bullet for depression, sorry..

Middle-Eastern type full flavor Ceylon tea with a bit of honey in it is my favorite.. Not to often though, all teas contains tannins which dries out the colon (which leads to constipation). The lower levels of caffeine and higher levels of the milder, longer-acting stimulant theobromine makes tea a more pleasant and HPPD-friendly alternative to coffee..

DOB is really nasty stuff. Really taxing on the body.. One of my friends got psychosis from it. It was sold as LSA blotters, but the chem test they did on him showed an amphetamine type substance (DOB). Another friend had an close to 36 hours strange off and on trip. He said it was horrible and had trouble sleeping for many days after. Same blotters.. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dob/dob.shtml