Can HPPD get permanently worse on its own?

[nlbrooks7]

If I don’t abuse any substances and just live, is HPPD degenerative? That’s my worst nightmare. I can’t tell if I’m just noticing more symptoms or they’re actually worsening. 

[MadDoc]

Permanently?  I suspect my visuals are permanent, so yes, it's possible for some symptoms to loiter around.  Understand that I took a ridiculous amount of psychedelics at a young age.  It doesn't mean anything is permanent in your case.  That being said, many of my symptoms have vanished or have significantly moderated.  Degenerative?  I associate that term with something like Alzheimer's disease.  I've had this condition roughly 40 years and my mind is as sharp as ever.

I'm no expert on hppd.  All I really understand is how it has effected me.  I'm not sure if that addresses your concerns, but I hope it was useful.

[sami]

There could be something else, possible infection, that makes it worse. I'm in the same boat. Abstaining from drugs, living healthy, hasn't helped me. Lyme, mold, etc. could be the reason your hppd gets worse.

After a while though I've gotten quite used to it. Still depressed about it but life goes on. DP/DR is a lot better once I got my anxiety in check. I'm treating my hppd now as it is a result of lyme infection and drugs, since I have a lot of other symptoms than just the hppd ones (joint pain, random pain, digestive issues, other neurological issues not covered by hppd).

Edited August 1, 2019 by sami

[sami]

Yea, definitely obsessing about it, constantly looking for changes, stress, anxiety makes it worse. I think mine has gotten better by just forcing myself to do other things, even when it is at its worst. I basically also have OCD so fighting those tendencies at the same time is really difficult.

[Gill82]

I've had hppd for 13 years. There are plenty of things that can aggravate my hppd. However,  the symptoms have always gone back to baseline.  Never gotten overall worse.  

[Fawkinchit]

It doesn't appear to be a progressive disorder, there however, things that can make it worse, or trigger it.

[Jjjj]

On 8/1/2019 at 7:35 AM, sami said:

There could be something else, possible infection, that makes it worse. I'm in the same boat. Abstaining from drugs, living healthy, hasn't helped me. Lyme, mold, etc. could be the reason your hppd gets worse.

After a while though I've gotten quite used to it. Still depressed about it but life goes on. DP/DR is a lot better once I got my anxiety in check. I'm treating my hppd now as it is a result of lyme infection and drugs, since I have a lot of other symptoms than just the hppd ones (joint pain, random pain, digestive issues, other neurological issues not covered by hppd).

Oh yes! Being really ill can definitely bring back hppd symptoms! From my experience I thought I had beaten my hppd and lived hppd symptom free for a few years, then out of nowhere I was struck with the flu and had a bad fever and ever since then I’ve had my hppd symptoms return. It was absolutely horrifying to me to find out that sickness could bring these symptoms back. I thought as long as I stayed away from drugs I would be good for life but I was completely wrong. Now I take better care of myself. I make sure I am very hygienic to avoid  other possible illnesses and try to exercise and eat healthier. I guess once you have had a history of hppd there’s no telling what can bring it back. The only real thing you can do is just try to live as healthy as possible.