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Keppra reduces the generalized "from nowhere" anxiety. Also the feelings of dread and impending doom which are common both in HPPD'ers and epileptics it completely wipes away IMO. Panic attacks are best suppressed by benzos, but benzos are really devious.. Use them to much and to often and you'll become an addict and make all your problems a lot worse! Trust me, the anxiety you get from benzo withdrawal makes even the strongest panic attack seem like a walk in the park. As AmyMarie says, it's most important to root out the causes of the anxiety with psychotherapy, and clear it out and confront fears with CBT/CPT methods. This worked well for me, the rest of the hard-to-define anxiety was helped by Keppra, and in my case (since I have ADHD) also Wellbutrine and Concerta (methylphenidate). I would not recommend any type of serotonin-altering drugs (like SSRI and such), since they quite literary aggrevates the damaged neural pathways which is the main cause of both HPPD and DP/DR. In my case I developed serotonin poisoning from Sertraline, which is both dangerous and like the worst bad trip ever! There's much research on this subject (neurological causes of HPPD, serotonin system and perception). I'll post the articles in a separate thread when I've gathered enough of them..

I have used Lamictal (100 mgs/day) and sorry but it was any good at all for me.. It didn't decrease neither HPPD or DP/DR one bit. There was a quite forced on "mental clarity" later on which became unbearable in the end as it rendered me completely unable to sleep.. Strange side effects! Keppra is IMO a much better and more modern anti-EP with fewer side-effects.

I feel semi-tripping all the time, though Keppra has made me land a bit more.. If you're talking about tinnitus and that damned electric buzz in the ears all the time, I have that too and there's no "enjoying the silence" at all. I also listen to music a lot to cancel it out, it's most annoying when you have too sleep and silence is required..

Absolutely no problem at all with Novocaine! Anesthetics are local nerve tranquilizers, analgesics (opiates) are CNS tranquilizers. A bit unnecessary to numb out the whole body, when only a small area needs to be numbed out, right? Anyways, they will inject Novocaine straight into the nerve which is connected to the area which needs to be fixed. You'll get numb in the tounge and half of the lower face, it'll make you talk a bit funny and drewl for some hours, due the numbing of the sensory and motoric nerves. There are no CNS effects at all from this type of anesthetic injections. If you snort, smoke or IV the anesthetic (like cocaine) there will be CNS effects, but that's another story completely.. ;-) Bottom line is: there is nothing to worry about!

There definately is an genetic vunerability for HPPD. It seems to be the same gene as the heredity for migraines. Think we had a survey on this on the previous forum, quite convincing results for the HPPD-migraine connection. Everyone in my family has had or have migraine-type disorders. One in the family has epilepsy. My mother was born with some kind of PPD, which she had until she died. She never touched any drugs. We compared our symptoms, and they were quite alike, but the severity of my symptoms were FAR worse! You cannot get true HPPD from no drug exposure (the "H" in it stands for "hallucinogen").. But you can be born or develop some kind of PPD without any drugs, yes indeed. If you have someone with PPD in the family, the likelihood of getting full HPPD from using hallucinogens is a HIGH RISK! But really, most PPD's are not causing any disability at all. HPPD on the other hand, causes some kind of disability in most sufferers. This is due to the severity of the symptoms and all the comorbid disorders which most sufferers have (anxiety, DP/DR, depression etc). There are statistics on this, search around a bit on the web.. Hope I somehow have contributed to the knowledge-base we're trying to build in this forum.. :-)

Sugar, aches and HPPD spikes are related. Migraines and HPPD seems to be caused by similar mechanisms.. Migraines comes on more frequently when one consumes more sugar. The same for HPPD. Fructose/ glucose are not a problem for me to consume, but if I consume something with refined sugar (like a soda) then HPPD and DP/DR spikes, and the head and neck feels like they will burst apart. Every time.. The blood sugar crash after the blood sugar spike is the worst. My advice is to keep the blood sugar level steady throughout the day, consume slow carbs for this (oatmeal is the best!). No sweet snacks or soda, as this will make the equilibrium of the blood sugar level sway a lot up and down. Fruits have a much milder type of sugar (and less of it too), and therefore should be your first choice for fixing blood sugar dips. It's a good and healthy dietary framework which will make daily life more smooth when you have HPPD or migraines.. Check this link on triggers and self-care for migraines, as it applies for HPPD too. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Migraine/Pages/Causes.aspx

I've had CT (x-ray) on the brain, colon and twice on the teeth. Besides, I've had an MRI on the brain and the spine. No HPPD disasters from anything really! Though the MRI's caused strong feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety, so there were temporary HPPD increases. And the CT on the colon was horrible, drinking rat poison (barium), 24-hour laxatives, no solid food and no sleep. Plus CO2 in the colon and injection of radioactive contrast fluid, now that was a killer!! HPPD increased so much that I lost the ability to focus my vision (still going on a bit). Not to mention the rest of the body.. Like being run over by a dump truck! But I survived everything.. So don't worry about dental x-rays! It's the easiest of them all!

I have diagnosed ADHD (combined type) and I also have a HPPD diagnosis. And I think I some kind answer on the question "how to treat ADHD without making HPPD worse". I'm currently on 54 mg of Concerta (methylphenidate), 1000 mg Keppra, 300 mg Wellbutrin per day. Will probably increase the Concerta and Keppra dose and remove Wellbutrin entirely soon, for optimal effects. Since I began medicating with Concerta, I've had close to zero increase of HPPD symptoms. And it's thanks to Keppra! When I started Wellbutrin 3 years ago I hade a huge flare up of the symptoms which lasted for a week. I'm talking strong and colorful geometric patterns with open and closed eyes, neon shimmering color hue shiftings, distortion of space and shapes etc. Like a medium acid trip.. At that time I didn't have Keppra. Wellbutrin is a DNRI and affects some parts of the brain, Methylphenidate is also an DNRI, but it also increases synaptic firing and affects more brain regions, of those the nucleus accumbens region, the so called "reward" area of the brain. Methylphenidate therefore causes stronger effects. The receptor binding profile of both meds is most on DA, somewhat on NE, and close to 0% binding at serotonin. What the Keppra does is to "funnel" the increased electrical activity caused by the CNS stimulant to a more reasonable level, thus protecting the brain from overactivity. The mechanism of action of Keppra is unique and complicated, one thing that's really bizzare is how it selectively allows more GABA and SV2A to pass through the brain-blood barrier. Kind of like a weird selective MAOI exclusively for GABA and SV2A in a sense? More details here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002539/ In short, you'll get the beneficial effects of Concerta on the ADHD, WITHOUT risking a severe increase in HPPD. I would never ever take any kind of CNS stimulant without an anti-epileptic stabilizer, it would be risky in many ways.. So for a sucessful treatment, you should begin with Keppra, let it take a few months to find the right dose and get your body used to the substance. After that you can begin with the Methylphenidate (of which Concerta is the best preparation with longest and smoothest duration), and find the right dose on it. Concerta has profoundly improved many ADHD symptoms. It has reduced the restlessness and aggression levels to a much more manageable level, thoughts are a lot more straight-lined (not a million thoughts at once!). I function a lot better in social situations, can wait my turn in a conversation and can express myself more coherent. Concentration and attention is really great now. I'm less nervous, more self-confident and a lot more harmonic and calm than ever before. Not many side effects to take note of either. I stopped my polydrug abuse completely, I self medicated all my problems (ADHD, HPPD, DP/DR, anxiety etc.) with a cocktail of alcohol and benzos mostly. I feel no need to use them anymore and have not drank a single drop of alcohol in months. The right meds can do a lot! Keppra also has good effects by itself on the typical sleep problems of ADHD, brain wave intrusion during deep sleep (sleepwalking, toss & turn, waking frequently): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21683631 It also is good on restless legs, which is common with ADHD: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20950971 And of course HPPD: http://www.scribd.com/doc/138316970/keppra-evidencias-curativas Stabilizing effects in bipolar disorder combined with ADHD, could be interesting since the med combo is Methylphenidate and Keppra. If manic episodes can be completely supressed, it would easily supress HPPD increases as well I think? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15582854 When you have simultaneous ADHD and HPPD, it's crucial to have the right medication, which IMO is Concerta & Keppra together. Never Concerta alone though! For me it was clear I needed medication, since my ADHD is so severe it has basically played the major role in ruining my life. Wish I would have gotten medicated earlier, my life would have taken a better turn I'm sure of.. Better late than never anyways! Sorry for the incredibly long-winded explication of this subject, I hope it will be helpful for you, g29!

I've not used Clonazepam.. Lorazepam decreased the visuals most, like 15% I would estimate. Oxazepam and Diazepam only makes miniscule decreases. As for the Z-drugs I would say the same, miniscule. The best med against visuals is acceptance. They won't go away, no matter how hard you try. There's a risk of self-medicating with benzos against the visuals, which can put you in a even worse state, benzo addiction..

I've used most sleep meds and after many years of disastrous sleep I'm on mirtazapine. Yeah I know you're thinking "doesn't it mess up the HPPD?", and yes it does increase some symptoms but nothing I can't handle. Also consider that not sleeping at all will definately make the HPPD unbearable. Since I was both tolerant and addicted to Zolpidem and a whole lot of other benzos and suffered withdrawal every day and didn't sleep at all, had a resting pulse of 150-180 bpm I had to go to the emergency ward. I got to chose between Nozinan (levopromazine, an nasty cousin to Thorazine) and mirtazapine. Now my ciradian rythm is under control and I get long bouts of deep REM sleep. It's a bit miraculous.. It's also masked the benzo withdrawal. I've also had melatonin and agomelatine before and they help the sleep as much as a glass of warm milk, i.e. NOTHING. Though they can make the dreams a bit more interesting.

Eating hash gave me the first symptoms of HPPD.. I've done it several times and let me tell you this: it's very different from smoking it. It lasts much longer, up to 9 hours. You'll get the worst ataxia, your speech will become unintelligible, and you'll have CEV's and even some OEV's. Visions and out-of-body experiences can occur and in the worst case full hallucinations, paranoia and psychosis can happen. This is due to that THC metabolizes into an even more potent 11-hydroxy-THC when orally consumed. So in conclusion the answer to the "eating cannabis" for some kind of benefit is: a VERY bad idea! :-)

Definately a genetic predisposition. My mother had visual disturbances of a milder degree, which were present from childhood to her death. She also had migraines in her youth. My sister has severe migraines several times a week, with half face paralyzation. My brother had migraines before. One uncle has epilepsy, he says he sees auras around objects prior to getting a seizure. And of course me, who had migraine with aura before getting HPPD. I was the one who was reckless enough to shovel down so much drugs that I got HPPD..

Hmm, maybe Akathisia?

Caffeine makes the visuals worse temporarily for me. At the right dose caffeine is a good relief for my ADHD, and I get better sleep quality when I drink one large cup before sleep. So I would say it outweighs the HPPD increase a lot. Though if I drink to much I get increased DP/DR and faster heart rate so it has to be within certain limits.

From what I remember (from my impaired memory) it can increase the heart rate, and in combination with alcohol it can cause heart failure. Led to some mysterious deaths among healthy youths a couple of years ago. Quite dangerous to directly increase the levels of endogenous produced hormones by exogenous supplements. Usually the doses in such supplements are way too high also..

7 years.

It has not completely disappeared, but it's more managable now. I have a constant, unwavering level of DP/DR. This I'm sure of is because of the changed neurochemistry. I used to have strong episodes of DP/DR with a almost complete detachment from any kind of sense of reality. 2D-vision, cartooning, jamais vu and deja vu. An Alice in Wonderland nightmare from which there's no escape. This triggered panic attacks which in term also increased the DP/DR, a negative, self perpetuating circle. Which I've broken now..

No meds help much.. Keppra combined with Lorazepam is the best combo so far IMO, and that only might reduce VS by maybe 5-10 %. In other words not worth it.. The best healing technique is called; acceptance. It's a slow and hard process, but in the end it's necessary since HPPD does not just disappear. It will there for the rest of your life probably. After a few years your mind will forget your normal vision and adapt to the new state of HPPD. This will happen gradually, and the more it progresses the more the anxiety and worry will let go of it's choking grip. Sorry if I sound a bit grim but I'm a realist, and this is the reality of how HPPD works..

Keppra, 1000 mg/day Wellbutrin XR 300 mg/day Zolpidem (Ambien) 10 mg (used when needed) Lorazepam (Ativan) (used occasionally, 1-4 mg) Seroquel is to blame for your blurred vision. Neuroleptics + HPPD is a very bad combo.

Well my life is not really back on track (it's actually never been on track) . Though Keppra has increased my general quality of life a bit, which is always welcome. The Keppra effect has been stable since my latest reply in this thread. Visuals are still decreased by 5-10%, nothing miraculous there but still something. Still have to say that I'm most impressed how my sleep quality has improved. To not have to wake up every hour or so, no more nightmares with evil entities killing me or ripping my soul out, it's bliss! Though I still need Zolpidem to fall asleep though.. Planning to ask for a dose increase (1500 mg/day) after the summer. Also will try to switch from Wellbutrin to Concerta for my ADHD related rage and restlessness (Wellbutrin stopped working completely). Might sound like a crazy idea since methylphenidate is known to aggravate HPPD. But maybe Keppra can restrict the HPPD-aggravation from methylphenidate? I have cracked several bones over the years, and latest split open the skin in my forehead so I got a very ugly scar, due to the ADHD rage with fists/feet/head smacked into concrete walls etc. Might be worth a try, have a green light in my collected diagnose documents to use central stimulants as "a last resort". Keppra does not work against ADHD-related mood swings and restlessness unfortunately..

Brain fog and DP/DR are close relatives.. I have ADHD and mild autism, motoric dysfunction and dysarthria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysarthria. But since I got HPPD and DP/DR I must say the speech problems got even worse. Keppra has increased my ability to articulate words and form sentences a bit but the problems are not completely gone..

When I drink I usually drink way too much, got alcoholist genes.. That's when it it disrupts the Keppra effect. I agree that benzos + alcohol is a far worse combo. Popped a couple of Lorazepam and drank a lot of whiskey one day. Think I was furious and in a state of despair prior to it. Still can't remember what I did that day.. From what I've heard I spoke incomprehensible, smashed a glass, crawled around and cut up my arm. Not something I'll do again, worst combo ever..

Tell your doctor you need to stop the Sertraline! It's making your problems worse.. Sertraline is a 5HTA serotonin receptor agonist. So is also LSD, psilocybine, mescaline etc. Agonism of this receptor causes much of the "psychedelic experience".. To put it simple; it is like trying to put out the fire by pouring gasoline on it. SSRI's are known to aggravate HPPD and it's comorbid symptoms (DP/DR in particular). I was on Sertaline six years ago. I got serotonergic syndrome (serotonin poisoning). I was lying in my bed shaking/ trembling with hypomania, the worst DP/DR I've ever had and dilated pupils for 2 whole days because of Sertraline. Switch to a dopamine/ noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor instead, such as Wellbutrine or Reboxetine. Much more healthy for a HPPD'er..

I've been on daily Zopiclone for about 6 months some years ago, enough to develop a tolerance/ addiction to them. I tapered them slowly, decreased the dose gradually and spaced the uses, first every other day, then two days apart etc. When I finally ceased to use them I got nasty whitdrawal symptoms anyway, though they faded quickly.. Some cold perspiration, craving, anxiety and 2 completely sleepless nights. So there's really no easy way of these type of drugs.. I use the stronger sibling Zolpidem now. I recently got off a Lorazepam addiction, in which I got some knowledge; the Z-drugs (benzo-like) and traditional benzos go hand in hand; they cause the same type of addiction and the same type of withdrawal, this is the reason why I didn't experience any withdrawal on Lorazepam, since I still was using Zolpidem. Maybe Zopiclone was the reason you managed to quit clonazepam, Kellen. Since the GABA-A receptor agonism wasn't interrupted.. I think you'll experience the worst withdrawal when you'll completely quit the benzos/ Z-drugs. So be ready for it! My advice is plan your withdrawal carefully, taper slowly, and make sure you have a calm period in your life. Worries and stress will drive you straight back into the numbing, treacerous embrace of the benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. Make sure you have the willpower to end the addiction. Remind yourself constantly how they ruin your life and why you must get off them! Be prepared to go through a sweaty, anxious, sleepless hell, and think how good you'll feel after the withdrawal is over. Expect from two days up to two weeks of physical withdrawal at least. If you get through that time you have the easier part ahead of you! Here's some links regarding the withdrawal and what drugs that causes it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_benzodiazepines Zopiclone is found under the tab: "Atypical benzodiazepine receptor ligands"

Hmm I think these type of "cure for everything" supplements are quite shady.. It's better and safer to consume the natural products. Then you'll also get more complete nutrition. My favourite food containing high amounts of phosphatidylserine are mackerel and herring. Mackerel also contains a lot of omega-3, vitamin B12 and D, phosporus and magnesium. Mix it with soy and you got a phosphatidyl-bomb!