Rusken

On 8/21/2023 at 5:14 PM, AF44 said:

I agree, clonazepam is better, though I will say I’ve not tried diazepam. Clonazepam works better because it has a longer half-life.

Diazepam has a half life up to 100 hours, were Clonazepam has up to 50. But Clonazepam seem to be more effective for other reasons.

Which one of these two do you believe holds the most potential for treating the decreased cognition, never feeling clear in the head, head pressure, dpdr and improving the ghosting and static? I've read alot on the forum and Keppra seem to have more "success" topics, but looking at their side effect profiles and clinical trials, Lamotrigine seem to be more tolerable with a lower chance of nasty side effects, but the downside with Lamotrigine is that the chances of getting blurred or double vision is amongst the common ones, which isn't the case with Keppra. So which one would you guys try first?

The title pretty much says it all. I've had this shit for over a year now and the visual snow, halos, palinopsia, ghosting, floaters etc haven't changed a single bit, so i wonder if these symptoms actually can decrease or go away? I know that it's not all to uncommon for the hallucinations to go, but from what i've gathered these seem to be permanent. So have yours or anyone you know of had these go? I really don't have any quality of life left because of these, they have completely consumed me, i can't even enjoy watching TV anymore because of them.

20 hours ago, cosmiccharlie said:

I no longer have visual snow but I still have trails, and see moving patterns on surfaces.  

Yea, but did that go away before you started with the sertraline or when you were on it?

22 hours ago, cosmiccharlie said:

It is interesting.  We are all different.  In the beginning of medication I think I did feel some exacerbation of visual symptoms but I stuck with it because I also felt some gain in the anxiety, depressions, OCD realm.  I think the flare up was short lived and once an equilibrium was reached which usually takes 8 weeks or so, maybe even longer they went back to baseline.  I still have visuals today but they are much less prevalent and I have accepted that I will likely have them for the foreseeable future. This is what one gets for taking 15 hits of good LSD in one night.  

Yea it really is! But i'm curious, you've said that your visual snow diminished, was that when you were on Sertraline? And are your vision really clear today? 

11 hours ago, cosmiccharlie said:

other than Zoloft which I have been on for about 3 years and has helped my anxiety and OCD.  I don't think it's impacted my visual symptoms and they have progressively gotten better.

 

This is interesting, because i've read a couple of other cases were it actually have helped alot (see below). Did your visual snow go away while you were on them?

https://amp.reddit.com/r/HPPD/comments/6a62yr/ssri_helped_with_hppd/

And a case study, but it seems that he only had HPPD type l since it says that his symptoms "occured almost daily":

"Antidepressant treatment was begun with sertraline 25 mg and was titrated upward slowly owing to concern about these flashbacks. Mild exacerbations of these LSD-like phenomena were noted for 2 to 4 days after each dosage increase, primarily as flashes of color, positiva afterimages, and feeting hallucinations in his peripheral vision. Within 1 month after the target dose of 100 mg was reached, these perceptual disturbances decreased until they had almost completely remitted. The depressive symtoms also improved. These gains were maintained for 4 months, at which point Mr. A graduated and terminated treatment.

https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/depression/sertraline-treatment-hallucinogen-persisting-perception/"

I found this, so unless he's lying, which i doubt, the symptoms can actually go in to full remission as Dr. Abraham have said. Just too bad that they came back for him about a year later after alot of stress, and if i understod it right he kept on drinking, which may have been the cause for it.
 

1 hour ago, cosmiccharlie said:

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about your situation.  It's interesting, on this forum (which used to be much more lively and hopefully will become so again) you're not the first person I've heard of this happening to.  It definitely calls to question the safety of cannabis.  Maybe you can connect with Hall89, he's new and in a similar situation.  See his story below. 

 As far as my symptoms are concerned, most of the visual distortions including visual snow went away.  The exception being the acid visuals such as mildly breathing walls, swirling colors/patterns, tracers.  But these became much much less pronounced as I continued to stay off drugs.  To give you hope, you're talking to a guy who took 15 hits of LSD in one night who is currently a mathematics PhD student at a reputable university.  I also served as a submarine office in the navy. This was all after I had contracted HPPD.  I even kept tripping after I noticed the visuals were here to stay because I was in a bad place and didn't care about myself.  You can have an amazing life with this condition.  Let me tell you, coming out on the other side is absolutely amazing.  You will have a new lease on life and your brain will come back. 

Remember, the human brain is extraordinarily resilient and will adapt to the condition you have put it in if given the time and a healthy lifestyle.  I recommend trying not to feel guilty, you are not at fault, you made a mistake and will learn and grow from it.  

Keep reaching out and stay positive. 

 

Thank you! And i'm sorry to hear that you're also in this boat. I will definately do that, his/hers sounds very similar to my symptoms! God i would have loved to ask Dr. Abraham a few questions, hopefully that could have given me some hope and ease of mind, but it seems that he's retired now.

Really? So your sight is clear now? What were the other distortions that went away? Did you also experience that you couldn't focus on objects (or still do)? How much would you say that you recovered (symptoms going away) after getting it the first time? Anyways, I'm glad to hear that you've done so well in life despite having HPPD, but i must ask, how could you turn to drugs again after going through this hell the first time and actually got rid of symptoms? If i would have known about HPPD before this, or anything else that could impair my vision, i would have stayed miles away from it. 

19 minutes ago, cosmiccharlie said:

I think it really depends upon the dosage taken, the specific  drugs used, the frequency of use and probably the most important factor is the individual.  I have had symptoms diminish over time, the exact amount of time I don't really recall because it is a gradual process.  For me, I do think I am stuck with a baseline amount of visuals but emotionally and cognitively I have made a full recovery in the past.  Currently I hit a bump in the road in the form of a weed trial for emotional relief which has caused them to flare up a bit.  But I am in the category of high dose and frequent LSD users which seem to be the most likely to have them for life.  As most people say on here, try not to worry or obsess over your condition.  If you stay healthy things will get better which for me means: 

• Stop all drugs (even alcohol for a but if you can) 
• Get as much sleep as you can 
• Exercise regularly even if it makes your symptoms worse
• Eat well 
• Stay busy with work/ school/ hobby etc
• Try not to worry 
• Learn to meditate if you can 

This was what helped me through those first few weeks/months.  

Stay positive and you will recover!

Take Care,

Nick 

Ok! Which of your symptoms have diminished? Do you know of anyone else that have made a near full recovery? When it comes to me i got it two weeks ago after a regular cannabis consumption over the last two months (2-3 times each week), prior to that i haven't used any other drugs than caffein and alcohol and lived a very healthy lifestyle with a good diet and exercise. The static/visual snow, ghosting, inability to focus on objects and that things in the distance looks "blurry" is killing me, it's like i've lost 40% of my vision. On top of that my brain feels "fried" and i never feel fully awake, like i'm still a little high. If these symptoms don't decrease or vanish i see no other end to this than suicide, because i can't go through the rest of my life feeling like a newly awake half blind monkey.

That cannabis can have such severe consequences should really be more known, especially now when it's getting legalized in more and more countries and states. I thought that i was well read up on the potential risks, but never had i heard of HPPD. I used to be pretty liberal when it came to drugs, but something that can cause this shouldn't be allowed to exist.

Hi! The title pretty much says it all! Can HPPD actually heal, or is it just that people get used with the symptoms over time? I've read so many different statements and stories so i really don't know what to believe, and the not knowing is one of the worst parts about this illness. I know that Dr. Abraham have said that around 50% makes a 100% recovery within 5 years, but i can't help but wonder what he means with "recovery"? Is it the symptoms actually going away or as i said above, getting used to it? Have any of your guys symptoms gone away or drastically subsided?