Does it normally get worse over time?

[Still_here]

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[VisualDude]

Can you describe these new symptoms besides head pressure?

[Still_here]

Well I have to admit a couple of the symptoms started after I thought I could get away with smoking weed, so I count those as my own fault.

Initially I developed tracers, sparkles that would last as long as a few minutes, and bizarre spiral patterns developing on bright surfaces like the sky (smoking weed 6 months post HPPD).

But since then (12 months plus of no weed) I now have visual snow, extreme glare off anything bright, my visions is almost always blurry and takes ages for the "lenses" to adjust, as mentioned in a previous post I have vertigo, and slurred speach (due to head pressure) and I feel a lot more "lost" per se. I feel perpetually dettached which has gotten a whole lot worse and I feel like sleeping all the time.

[Comfortably Numb]

Hey things can change over time, but there's always a ceiling on how bad the visuals an get. I think my visuals too got worse for probably a year or two. But then it will stop changing and become predictable and routine.

What's true in general though is that the visuals are not so bad -- it's your mental state that can make them oppressive. When you are happy, having fun, stuck in an engrossing conversation, playing sports, etc. you won't be obsessing about your visuals and even if they are noticeable they won't be that bothersome. It's when you dwell on them and get worried that they take on some horrible characteristics.

I know it's easier said than done when it comes to not caring about your visuals. Having depersonalization -- which is what it sounds like you have -- is awful, and when paired with anxiety it makes you feel like your going clinically insane. It's always a battle, but it's a battle that gets easier.

[ferret]

Thats good odysseus. How long did it take for yours to improve? Did you give up alcohol?

[ADHD]

To be honest, the dp and hppd have slowly got a little worse.............but some get better with time.

Smoking marijuana certainly hasn't helped......... but helps with depression.

17 years now.

[1998]

Most get better in time as long as they stay away from all drugs (can drink occasionally but hangovers are hell for most), if at all possible stay away from benzo's. I haven't even stayed away from all drugs and hppd has gotten about 25% better.

People w/o hppd as they age start to have health problems, some get lonely and depressed for numerous reasons ect.... and might think it's hppd tearing them apart but it's just life. Make some sort of career for yourself, most important keep loved ones close, and that will help insure a happier life. You can still live a nice life with hppd, you just have to work much harder then most to achieve it.

I'm not even in a good mood right now so don't think I'm happy go lucky, just telling you how it is.

Somebody above posted about playing sports or just being physically active, that's how I got through the initial 5 yrs of hppd.

Weed will bring on anxiety, which causes me headpressure. Wish I had some more helpful advice but can only tell you what I've experienced.

I think alot of ppl have bad but not full blown hppd and then when they start smoking (whatever drug) a while down the road they hit full blown hppd. I've had my visuals escalate from weed for a while and eventually everything went back down to baseline. I pretty much know how long my symptoms will increase when I drink or smoke weed now until I'm "normal" again. If any of this doesn't make sense it's cause I'm tired as hell and I have hppd Bedtime, Feel better!