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Please start low, I recommend 50mg. Not too much. Since it works via enzymes and works like a vitamin that builds up overtime. I would say, slow titration every 2 weeks.

Listed in section 4 lot of over the counter options bacaical skullcap is my favorite. Tincture from I iherb is pretty relaxing. but lots and lots of options. Careful not to pick the (antagonists). I’m not sure of the modulator class either. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/78514

I started active vitamin b6 (p5p) for treating drug induced akathisia. Turns out it increases production of the liver enzyme that delivers brain gaba. An immense relief from anxiety, agitation. Noticed my visuals improved 40% over 2 months. Still have some crazy stuff. Who knows someone might get a bigger benefit out of it. No side effects. I’m up at 500mg/day. Split into 3 doses per day. Some people report nausea and headaches over 100mg doses. But my understanding is in some people 50mg is enough for an impressive improvement. Thought it was worth sharing here.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-30/research-into-hallucinogenic-persistent-perception-disorder-hppd/103641192

Thanks and all good - I don't let it stop me, sometimes I think I may go to the doc and ask for some kind of 'help', i've read so much about the drugs that have given some kind of relief on here ( anti seizures medication by the sounds of it one that is up there ) but not sure thats a road I want to go down - the best treatment for me is to try and keep the anxiety at bay and to keep moving forward - but hey, if there was ever a 'miracle cure, I'd be first in line!

I also had some form of hppd at around 14-15 too... VS and moving objects... Sadly, i thought it was cool and a "free trip" Purple Ohms, Strawberries and Raving test tubes for me! The microdot I had a glastonbury 95 was what finished me off, they were about 10x the strength of anything i'd taken before and made my visuals what they are today

I was worried this would happen to me but it didn't exactly. I did have pro psychedelic friends that didn't agree with me though. I am a lot less popular than I used to be in high school and college. I struggle with anxiety till this day as well. I truly hope you are doing well!!!

Agreed, I was 15 at the time had taken LSD ( Purple Ohms ), even typing that gives me 'triggers', had taken 2 half paper tablets on separate occasions, than 1 full one a few weeks later and totally freaked out at home - 1 week later I had a flash-back that was a 1:1 event of the week before and it absolutely terrified me ( still does ) and BOOM, my life changed for ever, my brain never ever went back to the way it once was, and HPPD was in my life, awful - but, it is what it is, and acceptance is one of the greatest things I have ever done with this condition, and in part to finding this forum and realising I am not alone, and it is actually a thing. I am almost 48 now, scary where the years have gone. And yeah, age definitely a factor, as in my older years of taking alot of Extacy, and LSD ( usually with Vallium to keep me calm ( crazy thinking about it ) I was much more aware of what the drugs were doing to, me. I often felt when I was high on 'E' my symptoms were absolutely gone too, which to this day I still find a mystery, but defo not enough of a mystery to take anything again!!

Thanks Spartan and Jay. My life fell apart - I had to abandon a master's program, I lost my job, I almost lost my marriage, and I lost friendships (people who wouldn't hear that psychedelics could cause harm). I look like I've aged 10 years in just over 2. Strangely, I also lost my ability to visualize and to absorb information the way I used to. I can't tolerate most medications but I've found some success with guanfacine (related to clonidine). I still have visual snow, but the after images and unstable vision have decreased. I no longer always feel trapped in fight or flight mode, although I still struggle with anxiety. What's funny is that I never would have tried psychedelics outside a "safe" environment. I thought this was my ticket to healing... And I would be well supported. I'm now trying to lend my voice as a psychedelic safety advocate.

Welcome and thanks for sharing. I fear we are seeing the first ripples of a tsunami of HPPD cases brought about by this type of therapy. I hope you are doing ok

To make it short: 1. Did Keto during 25 days. Symptoms went down to a point I could barely notice them. 2. My doctor said to stop it because I was having too much animal protein 3. I went back to eating high carb, and symptoms came back to baseline -> Why am I not staying on Keto? Too many side effects, and dangerous on the long run -> Notes - Most people who thing are doing Keto are not in real ketosis. It takes huge commitment to do it. I was using a blood ketone tester and I was getting about 1.5 reading in the mornings - This is a complex diet, you gotta study it well before starting -> Takeways Keto puts the body in a metabolic state similar to fasting. It increases BDNF and downregulates mTOR, stimulating autophagy. It also modulates Glutamate / GABA ratios. Next step is to try Exogenous Ketones, to see if I can get the same benefits without the drawbacks. I hope this helps whoever is desperate for a reduction in symtoms.

It's a really complex situation. We are the obvious example of very severe "side effects" of these drugs. But the legit treatments are certainly helping a lot of people too and they are generally doing it in the safest manner possible (pure drugs, eye mask, minimising stimuli). I think the practitioners need to give serious thought to this sort of treatment though, especially when treating mental health issues. HPPD will happen to some of the patients and they need to be upfront about such life changing risks. As for the trolls, don;t give them any oxygen... I'm sure most of us were in denial of any risks too, when we took drugs.

Agreed, LSD was 100% the cause of mine, I remember it every day of life but cannot ponder too much on it, 33 years ago no that fateful ( and horrible ) day that changed my life forever! Continuing frying my brain into my early 30's was probably not the best idea also to be fair, haha......

Hi Helena, welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing. I would say that your case is more likely to be VSS and I think you will have more success with doctors if you describe it as such. There is a case to be made that the ADHD med caused this though, amphetamines could potentially cause HPPD, though it seems rare (anecdotally). From what I have read though, the treatments, triggers and overall advice seems to be pretty much the same for VSS and HPPD, so the info you find on the forum will be relevant. And yes, it can definitely go away... There are plenty of success stories on this site, and I get a lot of DMs letting me know that people have got better over time. It's something that often seems to go away after a few months.

Wow didn't realize how dark this seems until I saw it on TikTok. Hopefully Joey doesn't die in vain! I still remain open minded however I kind of am against psychedelics because I simply would not have had this was it not for psychedelics.

Lamictal was good but I got side effects like after Gabapentin although not as bad so I had to stop taking it. It didn't cure me though. I don't remember how effective it was exactly but it did help with anxiety, depression and some of the visuals.

This is excellent for awareness etc etc It's going semi viral on tik tok.

No. I wish!

Same!!

Yeah and before I was able to pull all nighters. Pfttt not anymore

supplements and meds both can be hit or miss. What works great for one, does not for the other. This is true amongst all kinds of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Yes for some reason sleep seems to be very important with HPPD.

As Jay above, sleeping well and trying to keep stress ( usually from work ) at bay are 2 of my most precious treatments!

There are three things that can really screw with my hppd 1) Drugs, 2) Stress 3) Lack of sleep. Lack of sleep really makes my dpdr and anxiety worse.

Hope it goes well, let us know if it helps at all

That's a good article, thanks for sharing. RIP Joey, very sad to read that part of the story.

Hello. Well shit, it's been a little over 5 years now since I got hppd and dpdr. I still have both 24/7, but I am in a much better place now. I don't obsess over it every day as I used to do the first 2 years; where I would think about it constantly throughout the days. I just learned to mostly ignore it, even though I know it's there. I just wanted to make a post and say THANK YOU to this page and all of you who calmed me down the first day and the first year of this shit. I really needed support from people who were going through the same thing as me. And you gave it to me. Thank you so much. I thought that my life was over, but you assured me that everything would be okay. And now everything is just as you said it would be. I am really thankful for the people that wrote to me and that I had this page when everything felt hopeless. <3 <3 <3

It's been 12 years since I got dpdr and hppd now. I still have symptoms like afterimages, especially during nighttime and when I get tired. And dpdr occurs from time to time. Even though some symptoms are still there, they are no longer the focus of my day as they used to be during the first 3-5 years with the disorders. It is a blessing to wake up and not have my dpdr/hppd to be the first thing I think about in the morning. To anyone who is in the beginning of this suffering journey: you will get through it. Life will get easier. I still haven't returned to how I was pre-disorders. But I have accepted that I might never again feel "normal" as I was before. I honestly don't even remember what it feels like to feel normal. This has become my new normal and I no longer feel fear in being this way. I do grieve the loss of my old normal, but life feels much easier now that time has passed. I wish everyone luck and strength on their journeys. And once again. Forever thankful to this forum and people here who comforted me in my biggest time of need.

Central Scotland here, where we are terrified of the men who terrify men and sheep.

I'm doing my best to understand.. Are you saying that you have been given an incorrect diagnosis of schizophrenia and it's only hppd ? If this is the case... I would get away from your silly doctor... Find a doctor who acknowledges hppd, dump the antipsychotics and possibly start trying mediations that are most commonly used for hppd etc

Hehe yeah I’m at the 26 year mark-lucky me! I will say that before I was put on Klonopin, my symptoms definitely improved, like kasco said-in small increments. Sometimes I would go days to a week without being bothered by symptoms. Then I would have a flare, but eventually go back to baseline. I heard that it’s different for everyone though. My motto is- there’s always hope!

I've been on 1mg Klonopin for 5-6 years now and my psychiatrist gave me no choice but to star tapering me off, she cut my dose in half to 0.5 mg on day 6 I noticed pressure on my chest / anxiety for no apparent reason except withdrawal was starting and on day 8 I could no longer tolerate it and my VSS / HPPD came back full force and caused me even more destress as I had seemed to forget / not see in my face symptoms for years and now they are back, talk about flashbacks to the worst part of my life. So, I immediately increased my dose back to 1mg and my VSS /HPPD is still here a month later. I started doing research on day 7 and found out 50% taper was way too fast and dangerous and I no longer trusted my psychiatrist so I found the "Benzodiazepine Information Correlation" online and there was a Chemical Dependency Doctor here in Sacramento California and I went to see her and she is an angel and will work with me to slow taper off if that's what I want to do, and can take a year or two to taper somewhat comfortably in comparison to most taper programs , its patient led tapering program and she advised to me because of my withdrawal symptoms and VSS/ HPPD that I increase my dose to 1.25mg spread at .75mg in the morning and .5 in the evening to help me stabilize as I was feeling like I was dyeing and I felt like I was going to lose all the progress I've made in my life and I now have a family of my own worry about and take care of and I've been at that dose for two weeks now and my anxiety is stabilizing but my visuals remain the same except I just realized yesterday that I have stopped using my eyedrops that I have always used when I have VSS/HPPD symptoms because of extreme dry eyes I always used eye drops in the past when my symptoms were extreme before the Klonopin helped ad all of the sudden my eyes aren't dry anymore "hoping things will get better". while ok Klonopin for those 5-6 year my symptoms started to fade but they were still there but hardly noticeable to a point I just didn't care and I feel that if this Trama didn't just happen I would be able to stay on the Klonopin 1mg for the rest of my life because I used the same dose at the same time every day and never really noticed any kind of high from them after a couple months and I was not seeking to increase my dose because I felt I didn't need to because everything seemed to be manageable during that time . Klonopin helped me with VSS /HPPD , daily headaches and Migraines along with my agoraphobia, panic disorder, GAD, social phobia/anxiety. If I can stabilize and my visuals go back to hardly noticeable than I will do anything I can to stay on Klonopin because I have to be functional not only for me but for my Family. I had no symptoms or any bad side effects from Klonopin except some memory issues that were manageable and worth it for me.

Hey everyone, it's been a long time since I came back to this forum, haven't come on here in a while since I completely forgot about my HPPD for a bit. I've laid off all drugs and alcohol (even caffeine) for at least the past year and I feel pretty good. My symptoms are almost nonexistent, the one thing that's still around is the visual snow but I also don't notice it unless I try or if I'm looking at a solid color. From what I've gathered from some facebook users that got HPPD from the same drug I did (nBOME), the visual snow is there to stay but it's honestly fine at this point. The only thing I can really say that helped me for sure was abstinence and a healthy life style overall. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

I have sky dived. I have surfed 15ft+ waves, I have snowboarded ridiculous off piste slopes. HPPD is still there. (Snow is not naturally green/blue, for instance). I do encourage people to do things that really put you in the moment, it's good for dp/dr, but it is certainly no cure or proof that hppd doesn't exist.

Matty O when he gets negative reviews... Were clearly not the only ones with a real condition here, if you think every person on this forum is makiing up their symptoms you’re probably clinically insane, and i agree, you should definitely go talk to real doctors, they will laugh at your immediate dismissiveness of mental disorders, just like they do the doctors of old who dismissed forms of insanity like schizophrenia. You sound ridiculous, you also appear to have a severe ego complex in my opinion. also its ridiculous to sign your name in forums especially since your screen name already shows Matty, we know who you are please do not be redundant. I’m guessing you’re young, if you want to do anything in medicine i highly suggest you do way more reading than just immediately jumping in to theory. ALSO, you claim facts but you provide zero evidence to support your claims, which also ,akes you appear to be ridiculous. All your posts in this thread are terribly cringy. You just have a belief with no evidence, but you feel strongly about it regardless, it makes you no better than a religious fanatic. P.S. The cure for male pattern baldness is swimming with sharks... once you see the shark it takes your mind off the hair loss and bam! All the hair is back, rogaine is now obsolete.

Hey guys, Note: I kept my story pretty short and I capitalized the main things in my story that really improved my symptoms in case you don't want to read my story/symptom part (I understand these are hard to read) These strategies worked for me, and I want you to give them a try. Think of these things as your good "work" to heal. Go to work every day. You have a purpose. I have dealt with HPPD for 3 years now. In this first paragraph I want to prove to you how bad it was, so that you'll trust my advice when I tell you how I, my body and mind, got better. I did mushrooms (very bad long-lasting trip) one time in my life to celebrate the job I just landed at a Two Michelin Star Restaurant in Manhattan, my dream job, and because of that one choice, I got full blown, want to kill yourself HPPD. (I didn't know what I even had until two years later.) Everything around me was constantly moving. At the onset, I was in bed for weeks, eating saltines, throwing up. I had to sleep upright because I could feel these waves shooting to my head very hard if I laid flat. I had to get a piece of foam to put over my bedroom window to sleep because my eyes were so sensitive to light. When I closed my eyes, I saw these white shapes constantly moving...there was no escape. I felt like my nervous system was on fire. I felt like I was walking on a boat, I couldn't feel still. Laying in my bed, I wasn't still... even sitting in a chair I was clinging to the arms. It got worse when I went outside. The sun was so bright I could see a metallic circle shape. The grass was highlighter green, the sidewalk looked like it was curving too far up. I couldn't see details on anything. Walls coming in on me, floors moving under me. I was house-bound, period. I have pages of symptoms ----I could go on, but you all know it fucking sucks. It's not fair and the thought of dying was comforting to me, as it probably is/was for some of you. I am trying to tell you how bad it was so that you will HAVE HOPE to know how much BETTER I have gotten. After waiting months to see a neurologist, he shrugged me off and ended up telling me I had "anxiety." That day I left johns Hopkins Hospital with my mom, dad, and aunt who came with me, I felt hopeless. Like this couldn't even be explained medically? Physically? Like WHAT THE FUCK AM I GOING TO DO? I didn't want to go to other doctors, even GOING to a doctor when you have really bad HPPD is horrifying. The fluorescent lights alone in there exhausted me. The worst part of that day was not being able to give my parents hope, watching them watch me struggle with no fucking medication to take home to get all better, no fucking resolution. When researching online, I could find nothing on what I had. So, i decided that I was going to get better, on my own, period. I started going to BIKRAM HOT YOGA about 3 times a week. Have you done yoga with hppd? The symptoms get worse in there. You have to stay still and my body is rocking back and forth,the floor is moving... the walls around me are moving and the instructor is just telling me BREATHE. REALAX. And I did. I did not feel sorry for myself. No, I did, a lot. I just didn't let the pity make me stop going. I went every other day, and slowly, I noticed a difference. Each class you do the same postures, and every week I would notice one thing about a class when some symptom had improved. About a year in, I would go to yoga and the whole night after I feel much better. I pushed myself through every posture and practice and visualized them as "wringing out" my symptoms, like the sweat that was pouring out of me was my HPPD leaving. I still think like that, and i still go every other day because if I don't my symptoms come back. It's a great part of my life now, and I actually enjoy it. Another VERY important step is THERAPY: I was having vertigo at the time as well, and I was able to get insurance to cover therapy because vertigo was covered. Thank god because therapy is FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND IS A LUXURY TO MOST. I would describe my symptoms to the therapist, and she didn't know what it was either...but we started doing something that was VERY HELPFUL and could help you guys out there....we started having me re-tell my story of the trip. Whenever I re-tell the story, my symptoms got WAY WORSE. I felt like I was there, the floor started moving, the clock ticked so loud, my peripheral vision was shrunken, the waves in my body rushed through to my head, my whole spine was sore I couldn't feel the many parts of my body or the difference between my body and the chair. After we did that, she would walk me around that floor of the building and I would slowly come back to hell, but less shitty hell. I started to realize delving into that fear head on was the thing that improved my symptoms the most. We did this every week. And slowly, it was like my brain knew I was confronting that fear I felt in the trip and it slowly got more manageable every time. Guys, talking --it could be about ANYTHING to ANYONE is helpful. Just get your feelings out, and then slowly maybe you'll be able to talk about the trip. What made HPPD so hard for me was ANXIETY CAUSED WORSE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. So, when anything at all made me anxious I would anticipate getting even more anxious because I knew I would feel more movement, I would see more trippy shit, I felt completely out of control. So, this led me to give up control (not easy, I am very ambitious and driven) which made me recover a lot faster. I couldn't drive at first. It took me months to go to, like, Target by myself. I started out by driving to a royal farms down the street. It was terrifying because I didn't know what would happen, I was away from home, and the car vibrations I could feel very strongly, especially when the car was in idle. When the car was in idle I felt like I was having a panic attack, I felt like I could slip into vertigo or out of this world in a second. It's so hard to explain. But I kept driving, every day I would try to go somewhere a little further and further. MEDITATION worked wonders for me. Just lay down, set your phone timer for 10 minutes, and focus on your breath. If thoughts pop into your mind, which they will, just let them in, and let them go. This 10 minutes a day I started doing I think was healing my brain, along with the yoga, and therapy. It gives your mind a vacation from the hell your going through. Another things is DEEP BREATHING. Learning to breathe from your stomach (I have always been an anxious person, and never even knew how to do this..) saved my life. Let your whole belly fill up and let the air press against it. It is such a comforting feeling. When you feel like the world around you is moving and pulsing but you learn to train yourself to breathe deeply, you can get through it. You just have to not give up, that's it. It will get better. BODY CONTACT/Massage: Whoever it is, your mom, your boyfriend or girlfriend, husband/wife, anyone, just laying and feeling someone next to me actually lessened my symptoms. Do as many things with good, real friends and family as you can. It will help you heal, and your symptoms aren't as strong/noticed when you are around other people. In this time, I found out who my real friends were. In this time, I have also become a lot more content as a person. I am more comfortable in my own skin because I know how unbelievably worse life can be. It gave me perspective, and perspective created gratitude for the things I did have: a boyfriend who wasn't allowed to sleep at my house (parents) laid next to me at night and waited until i went to sleep because I was so scared. I had my mom to drive me to therapy (I couldn't drive for a long time). Thich Naht Hahn: Reading was hard for a while, the words would move around and it made me nauseous. So i listened to his books on audible. They helped me get through a lot. Especially one called Living Without Stress or Fear. His voice is so soothing and he makes you feel like he understands exactly what your going through. Its been three years now, and I went from living in my parents basement, my mind and body broken, most of the time feeling hopeless, torn apart, to living on my own with my boyfriend applying to film school for comedy script-writing. I still have symptoms like trailing, mild waves, and other things, but I know they will heal, because of how much they have improved since the beginning. I am FUNCTIONAL, and some days I actually don't even think about it. I will only get better, and I know you guys can too. I am here if you need encouragement, or if you need to be told to suck it up and keep moving. I was weak and lost, but I am strong now and I can help you too. Think about a year from now or a month from now what goal you will achieve, whatever that means for you. Keep focused on that goal. I used to make a goal for every month something I would build myself up to doing (like driving on the highway was a huge one, or even going to a restaurant which was something I could not do in the first year) Every time something gets better or a symptom goes away or you do something you couldn't do before, make a note in your phone calendar. As you look back over the months, you realize how far you've come, and you realize that everything is going to be okay. Stay Strong, It's gonna be okay. Take it one day at a time.