DizzyMike

etardnow, This is precisely why I want to create the database. Right now, it all seems random, and I agree there are so many variables. But, if we can organize the data and account for as many variables as possible we might be able to establish trends and patterns. Say someone starts a drug: -they fill out how long they have had hppd, cause etc -what drug and dose -symptoms prior -symptoms during -symptoms after -length of treatment -rate the apparent effectiveness - have questions for general sleep diet etc and then move on If we had a signigicant number of people filling out a streamlined version of this we might actually have some figures to back-up our claims (albeit not perfect) but figures all the same. We may be able to surprise ourselves and find some trend(s) that we hadn't uncovered until we compiled the datas. It might just be how I see it, but I see millions of people in the mental health communities trying different approaches everyday, some get cured some don't. But none of that information is being stored. It's a waste.

TOPIRAMATE has been recommended as an adjunctive treatment of posttraumatic epilepsy and is also indicated for the treatment of migraine headaches, which commonly occur after concussive injury. Although the use of topiramate may be effective in treating seizures, its association with cognitive side effects may limit its use. MECHANISM OF ACTION The mechanism of action of topiramate in treating epilepsy is thought to involve (1) potentiating inhibition via the [gamma]-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system, (2) blocking voltage-dependent sodium channels, (3) modulating high-voltage-activated calcium channels, and (4) glutamate antagonism by blocking non-NMDA receptors.1 Anti-epileptic drugs (AED) are effective because of their ability to reduce neuronal activation, and thus reduce the likelihood of excessive firing that triggers the seizure. However, the mechanism responsible for its efficacy against seizures may also be responsible for the cognitive problems because of reduced neuronal activation. Yet, not all AEDs are equally impairing to cognition, and it likely involves more than the potentiation of the GABAergic system, since gabapentin is thought to act on the GABA system but has relatively few cognitive effects2; similarly, tiagabine, which acts predominantly by inhibiting reuptake of GABA, has fewer cognitive side effects than topiramate.3 The multiple mechanisms of action of topiramate are thought to play a major role in cognition.4 Functional and anatomical correlates may also provide clues to the mechanisms for topiramate's cognitive effects. One study using functional MRI showed a neuroanatomical relationship between decreased activation of the left prefrontal cortex and cognitive language impairment with topiramate therapy in patients with epilepsy.2 Moreover, healthy volunteers who received topiramate showed changes on evoked potentials consistent with disruption of neuronal mechanisms important for maintenance of information in working memory, which may account for topiramate's adverse impact on performance speed and accuracy.5

Interesting, shows just how much of an affect altered vision has on your brain. HPPD's symptoms are more far-reaching than meets the eye...

SImilar index to Erowid, but much cleaner. Not only individual reports but the ability to compile that data and generate graphs from sizeable samples.

I want to put that information in a relational database. So that someone can search: hppd; treatment; drugs; order by effectiveness and it would return what people with hppd have found to be the most useful drug. Along with it's side effects, length of trial, and as much data as we have.

I find that when I am looking through the forum to find things (drugs, therapies, etc), I get confused and turned around. My point being that, although a forum is great for collaboration and discussion, it is less than ideal for storing information, treatments, and theories we develop. I think it is very important we have an archive for all of the drugs trialled, what our experience was, what we were hoping to treat, how long we tried it for. From there we can generate some valuable data that is otherwise lost in the forum. Is there a place that exists for things like this? If not, would anyone be interested in developing something like this? An archive of sorts. It could go beyond the scope of hppd, and encompass people from other disorders as well. A place to search by disorder, or drug or treatment, and come up with relevant results and data. Just a thought. I'd be interested in collaborating on something like this. I am currently doing my last year in software development.

I have one of those SAD lamps. I personally never used it too much, simply because sitting under the damn thing for half an hour is the same as walking for the bus. I have however considering setting it on a timer and mounting it above my bed so it lights up half an hour before my alarm goes off. The idea being that my eyes start to adjust through my eyelids, before I wake up.

I stopped lexapro in an attempt to rid myself of my chronic dizziness. It didn't work. I now fear that I will be unable to go back on as I've heard ssri's are ineffective once stopped and restarted. I'm considering starting wellbutrin. As of now I take 1mg clonazepam as needed, magnesium, b2, butterbur and a multi vitamin.

odisa, Do you have a post or a sheet somewhere of everything you have tried/taken and the effect it has had on you? All of this stuff is slowly convincing me to study neuroscience after I graduate this year :/

I don't usually post asking for anything. I try to give back to the community for all of the information it has provided me with. I speak not only of hppdonline, but of all of the other forums I have been a part of as well. That being said.. I am feeling really discouraged recently. Since stopping Lexapro, I have had a return of dp/dr, anxiety and other weirdness. I now suffer from so many symptoms, I'm not even sure what camp to set foot in. Between the chronic dizziness, bouts of vertigo, vision problems, social anxiety and dp; I feel pretty hopeless. There seems to be nothing left to enjoy that is not hampered by one or more so those symptoms. The more I research, the less sure I am of what exactly is effecting me and why. I just don't know anymore. It's been so long.

Abilify works on the d2 dopamine receptors if anyone is interested. But, I agree with most others here that your symptoms are a result of chronic stress and anxiety and not an issues with dopamine itself.

I think all of those theories sound equally plausible. In my own case I had anxiety, dp/dr, and hppd at the same time right after MDMA. First the anxiety went, and now the dp/dr is much more transient but the visuals have remained. I am left thinking that the anxiety and dp/dr are related but the visual symptoms are not. The more and more research I do into these symptoms the more confused I become. Everything overlaps, nothing is concrete and it is all exceedingly hard to diagnose. However, I really don't think dp/dr and hppd are related other than having common triggers.

sytheso, how is your vision as far as 20/20 stuff goes? Mine is quite bad now, and I did poorly on almost every visual test. I think having hppd for so long may have wreaked havoc on my visual system. Do you have prisms in your lenses? Do you wear the glasses all of the time? All in all, it sounds promising and I hope we both see some markable changes!

Thanks to JapaNese's cunning salesmanship I've decided to stop vision therapy and invest my resources in zithromax.... Anyway, I now have my glasses and am wearing them to type this. I think that they stabilize my vision a fair bit and hopefully over time I will see some other benefits.

Just to add to the sleep deprivation bit... Dopamine levels go through the roof when you haven't slept. If you feel relief after not sleeping well, or at all, I would suggest looking into something that increases dopamine. I believe Visual is a big advocate of dopamine and it's impact on hppd.