Are there any substances that are "safe" or less hazardous to use with HPPD/VS

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum after a long search for the answer to my question. 

Throughout the past two years my vision's gotten noticeably crazy with static/after images/halos/ghost letters over what i read. I've been checked by an array of different physicians who seem to be stumped and am still awaiting more referrals.  

I don't feel like its gotten worse and it may have started from a dabble in moderate use years ago of LSD, Mushrooms, MDMA and even some xtc containing some form of 2cb. Since that point, I've only drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. 

I've been clean from any kind of drug, even caffeine, as well as living an extremely healthy lifestyle for the past 4 months or so now and it just feels odd thinking I'll never be able to dabble in the wonderland again   

Does anyone know of ANY kind of substance usable with HPPD/VS that won't further endanger my perception or get in the way of my recovery process? 

Thankyou for your input <33333

[Mr.50's]

Besides keppra and lamactil, excercise and meditate, sounds like a lot but it's better than medication for me

[Jay1]

In terms of HPPD, i think opiates and benzos are "safer" but obvisouly come with their own risks. As standard with this illness though, there are people who have made their HPPD worse with these drugs too.

 

If I were you I would be thanking god, buddha, allah, zues and the rest of the gang that you can still smoke weed and drink alcohol.

 

I would fucking love to smoke a joint without being skyrocketed to planet psychosis.

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I drank for my first time in months at a music festival this weekend and didn't have any negative effect on my vision whatsoever. I've heard of people's VS getting more intense during the hangover but it seemed regular to me.

 

I live in a part of Canada where I'd be able to get the finest weed for cheap (almost more available to me than alcohol) but smoking maryj seemed to aggravate my symptoms and from what I've read on the internet can make symptoms much worse, I'd love to get baked as bread every once in a while but am so nervous that it'll make my condition worse or permanent.

 

When this first started I had quite a bit of noticeable dp/dr but I seemed to be able to shake it off with a positive attitude despite my continued use of psychedelics and overly-stressful life.

 

You must all know the feeling of being a young adult and seeing all your friends experiment with drugs and have great times together and you abstain in sobriety knowing you can't join in on the fun and unforgettable experiences because of a condition no one's heard of ( All I can do is reminisce yet I feel I shouldn't be looking back on my irresponsible memories until I've got some actual responsibilities to keep me from them (kids, family, older body that can't handle these things) This is the only age I get to do these things while I feel like I'm part of something while I do them. 

 

Either way, thank you guys so much for your responses, it really makes me feel better knowing there's a supportive community of people in the same boat as me ready to help. 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

But besides my lil venting post, are there any substances in particular that anyone can say they've used with success? 

[Mr.50's]

You've got no idea man, got this shit when I was 14 and just turned 16. There's really no other meds sorry

[Jay1]

I feel for ya... I remember finally quiting drugs... I had to move away from my town, friends and family... It was the only was I was ever gonna quit, the temptation and peer pressure was that strong. Unfortunatly I was already too far gone by then... You still have a great chance at recovery. 8 hours of fun isn't worth fucking your life up for.

 

Trust me, nothing on this planet is worth sacarficing your mental health for. If I could go back in time to when I was your age and could chose to a) be a paraplegic or b ) live the life I have, with mental illness... I'd choose a) every time... I'd fucking pay every penny I have for a).

[415_stylee]

I agree with Jay, both regarding "safer" substances (with their risks) and that some hours of fun are not worth f**king up the rest of the life for.

And thinking back, after 8 years with HPPD, I would actually go back to the messed up state of chronical unemployment, with a few months of work here and there, being mostly healthy and HPPD free.

It beats being on disability pension at the age of 30, having 5 diagnoses (so far), and shoveling down 4 meds daily (for now), for the rest of my life, being stuck at the end of the rabbit hole, close to getting out, but not being able to..

I'll never be fully functional again, which in turn means; no work at all, no children/family. A life on the tightrope, where every nudge can make me lose balance..

Being in that hopeless (but still healthy) state of before.. I'll take it any day rather than being really f**ked up like I am now.

Gooseontheloose, you still have a chance of recovery. Statistics say, if you get HPPD, and abstain from further drug use, you'll have quite a good prognosis of recovery within a maximum of 5 years!

After those 5 years, your chances are slim to none for recovery..

So don't go visit "Wonderland" ever again..

"Realityland" is better, no matter how many flaws it has. It's where you live and belong..

You might get stuck in the rabbit hole forever otherwise.. :-S

And regarding my "friends" from before, who I used drugs with.. Most of them have either got criminal charges, reoccuring psychosis, are homeless or are dead. Some of them turned snitches, or betrayed everyone of their previous friends.

Really, people like those are neither worth your time, energy or your life. No real friend would pull you down with them into misery..

I have no good memories from a "young, wild, fun" life, just traumatic scars which are etched into my soul forever..

A life in misery, that turned to even worse misery when I tried to escape the first misery by drugs..

Now I have too try to make my life worth living, rebuild it from the ground up with a damaged body and psyche.. Though it'll never be as it could have been.

Accepting that is probably the hardest thing to come to terms with, to forgive yourself and move on.

Don't put yourself in that position, Gooseontheloose. Keep abstaining from drugs and make new friends who don't use drugs. You'll thank yourself later!

Sorry for being preachy, I just don't want anyone to end up like me..