Keppra has greatly reduced my symptoms

[Lallo]

Originally, I thought of making a long thread describing my symptoms, backstory and all that.
I also thought a lot that I couldn't post this thread before having been on Keppra for at least half a year, so that I could have more experience of being on this medicine.

However, right now I just want this to get out there. I want everyone here to have this information cause I know I wish I'd had it over a year ago.

In short: I got HPPD from an 100ug LSD trip over 1.5 year ago. This was probably my 4th actual trip and it was great. No bad experience or anxiety. It was a magical moment. I also did some days of microdosing the months prior to this trip but I'm sure at least 4 months had past since the last time I took a dosage higher than 20ug.

2-3 days later I noticed that everything felt like a dream. My conclusion was that this was something related to stress, as I had a lot to do in school over the whole year and especially at the time.
I didn't research to much about it since I had just gone on a vacation and thought that my mind just needed some rest. One month later, I went to an event and took one pill of MDMA.
After this, life became a living hell. I had to try to cope with HPPD symptom while managing university studies at one of the most challenging schools in my country.
Somehow, I've survived 1.5 year so far but the times that I've thought about suicide have been plenty to say the least. This all coming from a person with great social life, no prior health problems, great fitness and good grades.

Just to let you all know. I've been working out 5 days a week, eating healthier than anyone I know, taking supplements and vitamins, doing meditation, reducing stress and all that jazz people are talking about and recommending.

I've previously tried Lamictal, which didn't reduce the symptoms more than placebo and I stopped taking it after 2 months.
I had heard about Keppra, but somewhere in my mind I felt that "If I just follow these other recommendations and give it all time, it will disappear. Or at least reduce to such a small amount that I wont notice it". However 1.5 year later I went on a vacation again and the symptoms went full on like I had gotten HPPD just days earlier. Suicidal thoughts were sky high and I just thought that I need to do or try anything at this stage to save my life.

I had come in contact with a neurologist regarding visual snow (not HPPD). He was the only medical contact I knew that took the condition seriously and actually had given Keppra and Lamictal to other patients (with different results). I told him about the trip and gave him my full story. This was something I hadn't really told other doctors I had met before since taking drugs is not only illegal but very looked down upon where I live and I knew that the doctors haven't even heard about a condition such as HPPD and would instead just take me for a fool or drug addict. (Actually called a psychiatrist who told me to go to the city centre for people with addict problems... yeah you understand how ignorant people are since I calmly told her that I barely ever used drugs, maybe a few times in my life, which was the truth).

Anyway, I have now been on Keppra for over a 1.5 month and it has been a lifesaver. Is my HPPD 100% gone? No. But my symptoms are greatly reduced and I can finally live a pretty normal life again without everyday being like going through hell.
Some of my visuals are still very present. Visual snow reduced maybe 10-20% and I have some mild afterimages and just warping of stuff sometimes. But my floaters, derealisation and depersonalisation has been greatly reduced. I almost feel normal again as I was before the start of HPPD. I know people of these forums love numbers so I would say that the dp/dr has been reduced by 80-90% and my anxiety has also been greatly reduced together with this.

I know that I've only been on this medication for a while but the changes I've experienced cannot be placebo and it has made life much easier to live again.

I know realised that this post became pretty long to be honest but I didn't really have the feeling to go through all my symptoms and describing everything in detail etc.
I just want to recommend Keppra to all you HPPD sufferers out there!
It might not work for everyone, but anything is worth trying.

I'm right now on a dose of 500mg in the morning and 250mg in the evening. For a while I tried taking 500mg both morning and evening but my side effects went up a bit to much and I felt like it was more important for me to get the benefits of Keppra during the day than evening / night. After all, this schedule of taking this medicine is just copied after people with seizures and it is important for them to keep a steady state of the drug during the whole day to prevent seizures.

Remember that you start of Keppra with taking only 250mg x 2 daily for about 2 weeks (your doctor SHOULD know this if you find anyone who will prescribe it to you) and you might experience side effects like becoming very drowsy and tired at first. I started Keppra this summer when I didn't have to go to school but I found myself sleeping during the day and being pretty tired when I was awake the first 1-2 weeks. This also happened again when I increased the dosage to my current dose at 500mg + 250mg.


I try to avoid searching about HPPD on the internet and therefore I won't be answering to much in this thread or any PM that anyone will send me. I just feel that trying to take my mind away from HPPD is the best thing you can do and that's what I'm trying. But most of what I know is in this post in one way or another, even if it's a summary. If I know myself I will probably stumble upon this post again somewhere in the future and then I will try to answer any question as good as I possibly can.

Go out there, find a neurologist and try Keppra if you have not yet done it. I told my neurologist it was to cope with visual snow and maybe you could try the same if there is no doctor that will understand HPPD. I do not live in the US or UK so I cannot recommend a doctor there.

Good luck to you all!

[olivier24445]

yes, agree, anyone who has hppd should try Lamictal or Keppra, they both work. Me i had good results since now with Lamictal. My HPPD is 20 years old almost.

Forget about nutropics, i bought and experimented most of them, nothing works. Just take a step to real medication. There is hope , really.

Edited August 18, 2018 by olivier24445