K.B.Fante

I have thyroid issues and dairy is high in iodine so I just started to incorporate it into my diet to get iodine. Nobody really told me I had to. Bad choice obviously. I can't tell you how much better I've felt since getting off it again.

For what it's worth, I contacted the authors of the recent North Carolina study about whether they think HPPD could be a result of a permanent sealing of the lid on the seratonin receptor and one of them said he thinks its highly unlikely. In fact, he specifically said he thinks there's no way it's even possible. Instead, he suggested the visual cortex could have become "sensitized" given our visual disturbances and the fact this area of the brain has a high number of 5-HT2A receptors. He sorta sounded like he was just spitballing, but I guess it's something. Still doesn't tell us much.

I went dairy free for a year then went back on it for about the last four months due to other health issues. I felt like crap on it. I think cheese here or there is OK and doesn't seem to bother me, but milk, yogurt, etc., just made me feel terrible and gave me stomach aches. Not sure exactly why dairy is decreasing in popularity but I know it's high in glutamate which isn't good for our brains either.

This is fascinating. Has anybody here read that book? In the descriptions I've found online he doesn't refer to it as HPPD, only "Post-LSD Syndrome." Also, the symptoms listed aren't in line with what we have. They mention depression, sleeplessness, etc., but no visual disturbances -- at least not in the summaries I read. Also, has anybody tried Ketaserin or Nuplazid? Both seem promising but perhaps difficult to get ahold of. Here's an interesting thread on this subject: http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/2294-5-ht2a-antagonists-a-complete-cure-for-hppd/#comment-18303 Lastly, did anybody else have a profound sense of meaning shortly after getting HPPD? I haven't thought much of it until reading all this stuff, but I remember in the first few weeks after getting HPPD having an absolutely revelatory sense of understanding about the world and how life was only worth living when there was meaning involved -- essentially all the stuff you're supposed to have happen while tripping, except this was weeks later. Clearly there was something going on with those same receptors that induce meaning into the world, I just don't know what exactly.

You may want to look into Visual Snow Syndrome and Depersonalization-Derealization. There's lots of overlap with HPPD and if your symptoms came on gradually you could be more so in one of those categories, though it doesn't really matter in the end.

There's a very strong connection between HPPD and anxiety. My actual symptoms themselves haven't really gotten worse because of anxiety but some report the opposite. Best thing you can do is try and tackle your anxiety through therapy, exercise, diet, etc.

Thanks for this. Sounds like it's worth a shot. I hope people give this a try and report back. Would love to hear their experience good or bad. It would probably tell us a lot about what exactly is going on with that receptor, if anything.

You should try and eliminate dairy and gluten too. I'm telling ya, glutamate is a killer. I eliminated it just a few days ago and have felt a world of difference in just that timespan.

I've had problems like this off and on since getting HPPD. It got insanely out of control when my hormones went haywire to the point where I couldn't even hold a conversation or hardly pronounce words, much less read or think properly. It was a horrible adjustment, a complete nightmare on top of HPPD, but it's gotten much better and full health in this regard is right around the corner after a year of complete cognitive dysfunction. Like Onemorestep says, your brain is likely adjusting to something. Just be patient, don't panic and assess yourself a few weeks or months down the line. Repeat over and over and over and you'll be on the way to healing from HPPD entirely.

It's really not that long. The point isn't to eliminate these foods entirely. Many are extremely healthy for you, especially walnuts and bone broth. The point is, rather than having a steak sandwich with tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms for dinner, perhaps consider something a bit more healthy. If you work on this over the course of months and even years it's likely to have a big impact on your condition.

When I first got HPPD I felt high all the time. Like many have described, it's sorta the same feeling as coming down off getting really stoned. This actually faded pretty fast but DP-DR has persisted. As long as you stay away from drugs it will dissipate in time -- it just might take a few years.

A few weeks back I made a post about nightshades worsening or at least aggravating my HPPD symptoms, which you can find here: http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5431-nightshades/ Interestingly enough, after eliminating nightshades for the past few weeks I've felt much better, however yesterday after eating lunch I noticed my symptoms became aggravated in the same way when I consume nightshades, caffeine and other stimulants. When I analyzed what I ate that was different from previous days I realized it was granola I'd recently purchased with a large amount of nuts, but especially sesame seeds which are high in glutamate. In recent months the subject of glutamate has come up in multiple different posts, some of which you can read below: http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5399-glutamate-and-some-theory-about-visual-snow/#comment-34148 http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5337-possible-relation-in-paws-and-hppd/#comment-33768 http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5371-negative-reaction-to-caffeine/#comment-33951 http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5336-old-article-about-the-brain-and-lsd/#comment-34024 In addition, several months ago while browsing the Web I came across an interesting connection between glutamate and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), which has some overlapping similarities to HPPD. In fact, a user of this site recently complained of symptoms that align with RLS: http://hppdonline.com/index.php?/topic/5450-hppd-from-weed-alone-rare-experience/#comment-34486 RLS is often treated with drugs that have had similar success in alleviating symptoms of those in the HPPD community, primarily benzodiazepines, dopaminergic agents and opioids. But like HPPD these are no cure for RLS. Also similar to HPPD is the high correlation between emotional stress (especially anxiety) and RLS, as well as certain stimulating agents such as alcohol, caffeine and SSRIs which have a track record of exacerbating RLS symptoms. In recent years RLS has been linked to chromic inflammation, and like many ailments in Western society it appears most of this can be traced back to poor diet. Not surprisingly after drastically altering their diets to eliminate excess added sugar, alcohol, refined carbs, caffeine, dairy, red meat, chicken, potatoes, excess salt, gluten and other glutamate-rich foods many people with RLS have entirely reversed their condition as their bodies have become less inflamed over time. High levels of glutamate are toxic to the brain and are linked to other neurological issues such as migraines (which have an even stronger connection to HPPD and Visual Snow Syndrome), ADHD, obsessive thinking and racing thoughts, Huntington's Disease as well as autism. Foods high in glutamate: Wheat Dairy (including cheese, yogurt, etc.) Eggs Tomatoes Broccoli Nuts and seeds (especially walnuts and sesame seeds) Mushrooms Potatoes Monosodium Glutamate (also known as MSG, often found in asian dishes) Beef Broths Gelatin Hydrolyzed anything Peas Malted anything "Natural Flavors" Soy Anything fermented Molasses Canned foods Pretty much anything in store-bought sauces and cannes such as salad dressings, catsup, BBQ sauce, etc. Here is a more detailed list of foods containing glutamate: http://www.dramyyasko.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1279663001Neuroprovokers8.pdf For those looking to ease HPPD symptoms perhaps a diet low in excess gluten and other glutamate-rich foods, in addition to the many neuro-inflammatory items listed above, is a good place to start.

You might not have HPPD as much as you do Visual Snow Syndrome, though they're basically the same with regards to suffering. HPPD implies you got your symptoms from a hallucinogenic drug. Marijuana is a psychoactive substance but not nearly as potent as LSD for example. There's a chance you had underlying symptoms and then the weed brought it out. Others have mentioned their symptoms worsen when they work out as well. We've all been there before man. Nobody deserves this, but you're much better off trying to move forward and do what you can to benefit your health rather than worrying about the past, which you cannot change. Eat healthy, do some light exercises if possible, see a therapist, go to support groups, etc. It sounds like you've had times in your life since smoking when you didn't have these symptoms so you should consider yourself lucky.

I saw a quote recently about regret that basically said we all make the best decisions with the information we're given almost all the time, so in this sense regret is sorta meaningless. I totally agree. If any of us knew this was a possibility we wouldn't have taken the drugs that got us here. No sense in looking at the past with regret knowing what we do now. HPPD is an injury of some sort, no doubt about it. The question is what causes it and why. Given the relation to tinnitus as well as a general sensitivity to sound and light waves I'm starting to wonder whether there's some connection to the nervous system in particular. My only wish is that I just knew what happened...

Honestly, the only supplement I think people almost have to have is magnesium just because of our agricultural processes, but as long as you eat a healthy and colorful diet with lots of greens, veggies, fruits, fish, nuts, etc., then you'll get all you need through those foods. Trust me man, I've been down the road of popping all sorts of supplements at one time and it's not an enjoyable experience. They can often make your symptoms worse or just mess with your health in general. Eating healthy is by far the best way to get whatever your brain needs. If you're really set on taking vitamins the only others I'd recommend are lecithin for nervous system support and potential neuronal growth, B complex, fish oil high in DHA and vitamin D. But again, you can get those by eating greens, eating fish and getting sun, which are all part of a healthy lifestyle anyways.

No, I still have many of the symptoms I started out with two years ago it's just that they've improved drastically to the point where I can live a pretty normal life day to day, which I never could have when I first got HPPD. Eventually my symptoms will completely go away but it'll likely take another couple of years given the pace I've been working with.

You're not gonna relapse from second-hand smoke or coffee. I really don't think that's possible. There are stories of people who've had their symptoms worsen due to drug exposure but nobody talks about a real hardcore relapse from these things. As long as you stay away from drugs you'll be fine. I just went to a concert where there was literally clouds of weed floating about outside and I just removed myself from the situation and covered my face the whole time but still had fun! You just have to be safe and careful and you'll be fine.

Where did you come up with this? It's hard to see why you'd avoid fat given the brain is largely composed of it and needs it to run. Ever since including more healthy fats in my diet I've felt much better. Also, why no turmeric or taurine? These are both great for HPPD as far as I've heard and experienced. That said, you have these on both lists so I can't read too much into it I guess. The last thing you should do is take tons of supplements. Not a good idea whatsoever. Just start eating super healthy. You can get all of these vitamins and minerals in a healthy, complex diet of mostly veggies and fruits.

I have this. It's a problem with frame rate but also depth perception (DP-DR), set shifting (inability to change quickly from one object to another) and pupil dilation which allows to much visual stimuli into my eyes at one time. I've had absolutely awful visual problems in attempting to track anything that moves since getting HPPD, but it's gotten much better. It was almost as if my eyes were frozen inside my head when I first got this, as I could hardly move them in any direction to track anything -- and everything blurred together.

Totally agree with the above. I've been here two years already, noticed a huge improvement in my symptoms over that span, but also noticed an entirely different group of people who comment now as opposed to two years ago. When people get better they move on with their lives and don't use this forum anymore and so there's not nearly as many recovery stories as there likely are in real life. If you're improving that's a great sign but you just need to be aware that this doesn't disappear overnight. As long as you eat healthy, exercise and do everything else to improve your health and stay sober you'll likely fully recover one day.

I had somewhat of a similar story. I'd been doing drugs since about age 14 and then shortly thereafter a period of extreme stress I took a hit of acid which gave me HPPD. I'm utterly convinced it was a combination of stress, sleeplessness and bad drugs that gave me HPPD. Had I not taken the acid I wouldn't have had HPPD obviously, but I'm still fairly sure that if I didn't have the stress and sleeplessness I wouldn't have HPPD either due to how many drugs I had taken prior to this all happening. It sounds like HPPD can be the result of doing too many drugs over a long period of time wherein the brain simply burns out, but there's also a fair number of people who haven't done that many drugs and end up with HPPD right off the bat due to some sort of coinciding emotional problems or an anxiety attack.

We all know how you feel, which is the nice thing about this forum. The best advice I can give you is to just prepare for this to be around for a while. I thought I'd only have HPPD for a few days, then a few weeks, then a few months, then six months, then a year, and here I am after two years and I still have it. That said, it's gotten way, way better and I'm in a good place right now, but it took a hell of a lot of suffering and pain and experimentation to get where I'm at. Just be ready for this to last longer than you'd like, however as long as you don't do anymore drugs, eat really healthy and exercise you'll give yourself a good chance of recovering faster.

Not that I know of but there should be. I've thought of hosting one once per year when I get healthy but that's still so far away. It'd be great to see how many people showed and especially exciting if we could get some medical professionals to show up too.

Yes, there are all sorts of memory problems due to DP-DR and the ones you mention are very common. I've had problems off and on the last few years of feeling like I've been transported back in time and just being hit with random memories all the time. It's really discomforting but I've found these memory problems tend to fluctuate. If you can stay healthy and improve your visuals the memory issues should start to dissipate.

You definitely have DP-DR and some minor HPPD symptoms as well. Sounds like you just overloaded your brain with weed. The only thing you can do now is go stone-cold sober, including alcohol, and just try and be as healthy as you can. It's gonna be really difficult but as long as you stay healthy you have a good chance of pulling through.